Arena per Tutti (Arena for All): the results

This summer, 3,521 people with disabilities were able to experience the magic of the Opera. 1,002 of these enjoyed the experience through multisensory technologies and itineraries. The Arena per Tutti (Arena for all) project, created by the Fondazione Arena di Verona with Müller, and now in its second edition, is growing year by year. And it is already looking ahead to 2025.

This year, a remarkable 25 accessible evenings of live entertainment were offered, from June to September. All participants had the opportunity to follow the opera with ad hoc supports and itineraries, including audio description for blind and visually impaired people, as well as specific subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Three different languages for these supports were available: Italian, English and German.

New practices in the Arena have allowed the performance of opera singing in Italy, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Site, to be accessible to all.

As many as 1,002 people took advantage of the supports and technologies during the shows, while 354 participated in the multisensory pre-operation itineraries, with an increase of 39% compared to 2023. Twelve events registered sold-out figures and saw the participation of numerous associations, including the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted with national chairman Mario Barbuto, and media attention. La7, Rai and Corriere della Sera, in addition to local and regional newspapers, spoke of the Arena project as the most important in Europe, in terms of numbers of spectators involved.

FACES, AGE AND ORIGIN

An initiative that has gone viral. Over 14 million users have been reached on the social channels of Fondazione Arena, Müller and the influencers involved: Elisabetta Rossi, Daniele Cassioli, Giovanni and Andrea Cerullo, Anna Vernillo, and Marco Andriano. These famous faces from Instagram and Facebook have, precisely because of their disabilities, become testimonials of how it is possible in Verona to enjoy an experience that is unique in the world. The website www.arenapertutti.it recorded 14,000 interactions and about 2,400 individual users who searched for information, with a great increase in foreign users, thanks to the translated content. 4,600 electronic libretti were consulted (30% in English), and 5,200 interactions for the Easy-To-Read fact sheets (half of which in English and German).

Arena per tutti involved spectators from 16 different regions of Italy and, for the first time, also from Germany, Austria, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, of whom 43% had never been to the Arena before, thus approaching the world of opera for their first time. Over 91% of those who used the tools enthusiastically reported that they appreciated the effectiveness and immersiveness of their evening at the opera. Thanks also to social and digital communication, the average age of the public should be noted: for 53%, this is below the age of 55.
The initiative was presented this morning by Cecilia Gasdia, General Manager of the Fondazione Arena, along with Luisa Ceni, Councillor for Social and Housing Policies of the Municipality of Verona; Paola Scandola, Marketing Director of Müller Italia, and Project Coordinator Elena Di Giovanni, Associate Professor of English Translation and Accessibility at the University of Macerata.
Müller's participation in this major musical and cultural event is part of Müller For People, the long-term path of social sustainability the Verona-based organisation has mapped out for the coming years.

"The ‘Arena per tutti’ results make us particularly proud” declared Cecilia Gasdia, General Manager of the Fondazione Arena, “because, in addition to the numbers, we see names and surnames, the stories of people who face important journeys both in geographic and human terms, as they approach opera for the first time thanks to this project, discovering it at the Arena di Verona. Opera, as we will never tire of saying, has been the most multimedia, multisensory and inclusive of the arts since its inception. Our thanks go to Müller, Professor Di Giovanni, and all the professionals involved in Arena per Tutti. The goal for 2025 is also to break down language barriers, for an even more international Arena for everyone."

"The extraordinary results achieved this year by the Arena per Tutti project demonstrate once again how important it is to make opera an accessible and inclusive experience for every spectator” said Paola Scandola, Marketing Director of Müller Italia. “Growing public participation has highlighted the value of breaking down barriers, to allow everyone to experience the beauty of opera. We thank the Fondazione Arena di Verona for giving us the opportunity to support this initiative, which represents a concrete example of inclusivity and culture open to all."

"Arena per Tutti is a project that is growing beyond all expectations and gives life, in Arena, to a large inclusive space” explained Professor Elena Di Giovanni, coordinator of the project. “A real and virtual space that involves everyone: theatre staff, artistes, operators and people with and without disabilities. In 2024, we collected over 360 user questionnaires and the feedback is extremely positive and encouraging. ”

ARENA PER TUTTI IN 2025

To guarantee that an international public be present and participatory in the project, Fondazione Arena di Verona has unveiled the 2025 ‘accessible‘ dates nine months in advance. Embracing the artistic proposal of the 2025 Festival, the focus will be on the operas Aida, La Traviata, Carmen and a new production of Nabucco.

There are 26 evenings accompanied by accessible trailers (in Italian, English and German, with subtitles, voice-over; Italian, international and German sign language translation; description of the images), live audio descriptions of the shows and electronic libretti, all in three languages (Italian, English and German). These are highly inclusive tools that, by replicating the graphics and structure of classic printed opera libretti (with synopsis, director's notes, photos and information on performances), can offer simplified texts with editable and enlargeable fonts, images and scene sketches with audio description (for the blind and visually impaired) as well as texts translated into Italian sign language. The opera libretti will be available in English, with international sign language translation. In addition, there are the Easy-To-Read fact sheets in Italian, English and German, which conform to European Union guidelines for written content designed for people with intellectual disabilities.

Next summer will bring 16 multisensory itineraries that are entirely free of charge, subject to compulsory booking at inclusione@arenadiverona.it or via the Web page www.arenapertutti.it. People with disabilities will be accompanied on stage and behind the scenes to explore the sets, costumes, props and musical instruments, guided by the stage staff and by the skilful hands of those who have organised the performances down to the smallest detail in the Fondazione Arena workshops.

As of 1 October, it will be possible to book your place to participate in Arena per Tutti 2025. For further information, and to find out how to sign up for the experience, please send an email to inclusione@arenadiverona.it and consult the website www.arenapertutti.it.