Pompeii, the return of Dionysus: 'Ecstatic Pompeii' is born amid the mysteries of the ancient city.

Pompeii once again confronts Dionysus, his world of ecstasy, mystery, madness, and transformation. It does so through theater and the evening openings of its archaeological sites, transforming the ancient Vesuvian villas for several weeks into places of storytelling and a dialogue between past and present.

"Ecstatic Pompeii. The Mysteries of Dionysus" is the second edition of "Esopop, storie in festival," a project promoted by the Pompeii Archaeological Park to showcase the heritage of the Vesuvian area through live theatrical performances.

From August 28th to September 26th 2026, every Friday and Saturday, at 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm, the public will be able to attend new shows accompanied by guided tours of the locations that serve as the natural backdrop for the performances.

The discovery of the House of the Thiasos

The starting point is one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of recent years: the House of the Thiasos, in the

Regio IX of Pompeii, brought to light during the 2024-2025 excavation campaigns.
The refined and richly decorated domus is dedicated to the world of Dionysus and houses, in the colonnaded hall, an extraordinary megalograph depicting a Dionysian procession. The frescoes are currently being restored, preparing for their future opening to the public.

It is precisely from this discovery that the idea for “Ecstatic Pompeii” was born: to bring the characters of the Dionysian world back to the center of the story and have them move not only within the ancient city, but through various sites in the Archaeological Park.

From Pompeii to Oplontis, Boscoreale, and Stabiae

The Villa of the Mysteries becomes the project's fulcrum. From here, the narrative ideally shifts to the Villa of Poppaea in Oplontis, the Villa Regina in Boscoreale, the Villa San Marco in Stabia, and the Archaeological Museum of Stabia in the Royal Palace of Quisisana in Castellammare di Stabia.

A journey in which archaeology and theatre intertwine to tell the story of Dionysus through some of the central figures of Euripides's Bacchae: Dionysus, Semele, Tiresias, and Pentheus.

"With the second edition of Esopop and Ecstatic Pompeii, we continue to narrate the heritage of the Vesuvian area through new and contemporary languages," explains Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. The goal, he emphasizes, is to create a journey that combines "archaeology, theater, and research" and introduces audiences to the world of Dionysus and the Bacchae in a direct and engaging way.

Dionysus, the stranger who comes from the city

The heart of the show is a Dionysus who does not simply arrive from outside, but bursts forth from within the city and the human soul.

Dionysus, both foreign and familiar, a male and female figure, a divinity capable of disrupting balances and challenging certainties. Alongside him are Semele, desperate and consumed by her truth; Tiresias, prophet and unheard voice; Pentheus, deceived and destined for sacrifice.

Characters emerge from the ruins and enter into a dialogue with a past that, through theatre, suddenly returns to the present.

"In Pompeii, Dionysus doesn't besiege the walls from the outside; he emerges as an internal crack, like the return of a repressed thing reclaiming its own space," explains Rosario Sparno, who, along with Fabio Cocifoglia, writes the scripts and directs the productions. "Here, the gods dance. The theater remains, acting as a threshold and a filter, a mirror that intercepts their steps before they overwhelm us."

Cocifoglia instead focuses attention on the concept of "epidemic," understood in a theophanic sense: the moment in which a divine force bursts among mortals and produces a sort of collective contagion, an ecstatic possession capable of altering the order of the community.

Six shows between myth, madness and ecstasy

The performances, produced by Casa del Contemporaneo, last approximately 30 minutes and are repeated twice in the same evening.

The festival kicks off on Friday, August 28th at the Villa Poppea in Oplontis with "Semele. The Truth Is a Fire," by Rosario Sparno, starring Loredana Piedimonte, Costanza Cutaia, and Massimo Cordovani. The same performance will be repeated on Saturday, August 29th at the Villa dei Misteri.

On September 4th, at the Stabia Archaeological Museum in the Quisisana Palace, it will be the turn of Dionysos. The Stranger, again by Sparno, with Gennaro Apicella and musician Francesco Giangrande. On September 5th, the performance will move to the Villa dei Misteri.

On September 11th, at Villa San Marco, and on September 12th, at the Villa dei Misteri, Pentheus: A Dialogue on Blindness will be performed, starring Elisabetta Pogliani as Tiresias and Luca Iervolino as Pentheus, accompanied by musician and composer Massimo Cordovani.

September 18th and 19th will feature Tiresias. Dionysus in the Eyes, by Fabio Cocifoglia, with Sonia Barbadoro.
The last weekend between Boscoreale and Pompeii

September 25th will be a special day, with the only afternoon performances, at 3:30 pm and 5 pm.
At Villa Regina in Boscoreale, "Io Dioniso. Luce e ombra" (I, Dionysus. Light and Shadow), starring Anna and Clara Bocchino, will debut. At Villa dei Misteri, "La Cura del Dio. Frammenti di un contagio" (The Care of God. Fragments of a Contagion), by Fabio Cocifoglia, loosely based on Enzo Moscato's "Disturbing a Tragedy," will be performed, starring Giampiero Schiano and musician Mimmo Angrisani.

On Saturday, September 26th, the festival will return to its evening schedule. At the Villa dei Misteri, "Io Dioniso. Luce e ombra" will once again be performed, while at Villa Regina, "La Cura del Dio. Fragments of a Contagion" will return.

Theatre enters the costumes of contemporary fashion

Costumes also become an integral part of the project. Thanks to the collaboration between Casa del Contemporaneo and the Tuscan company Sanctamuerte, the performances will feature the creations of Florentine designer Filippo Giorgi, whose work has been built on the intersection of art, research, and tailoring.

A choice that accentuates the contemporary nature of the operation: not a simple re-enactment of the ancient, but an attempt to reinterpret the myth through contemporary languages, forms, and sensibilities.

Before the show, the discovery of the places

Each performance will be preceded by a guided tour led by educational staff from Le Nuvole Teatro Arte Scienza. This will allow audiences to learn about the history and characteristics of the sites before attending the performance.
From the Villa of the Mysteries, with its famous Dionysian cycle, to the Villa of Poppaea in Oplontis; from Villa San Marco to the collection of artifacts and frescoes in the Stabia Archaeological Museum in the Reggia di Quisisana, all the way to Villa Regina in Boscoreale.

An itinerary that seeks to make Pompeii and the entire Vesuvian archaeological heritage not just a place to visit, but a space where the past can still speak, through theater, to today's audiences.
"Ecstatic Pompeii. The Mysteries of Dionysus" is a production by Casa del Contemporaneo, in collaboration with Le Nuvole teatro arte scienza, as part of "Esopop, storie in festival" at the Pompeii Archaeological Park, promoted by the Directorate General for Live Performances of the Ministry of Culture.

The initiative is also carried out in collaboration with the Campania Region through Scabec – Società Campana Beni Culturali, with funding from Campania>Artecard.