The new course

Upon being nominated art director at the Venice Theatre Biennale for its 2025 and 2026 editions, actor Willem Dafoe stated – with honesty and might we add, enlightenment – that he is perfectly aware his fame came from his film work, not theatre, though also that he was born a stage actor, educated as such, and is a stage animal at heart. In fact, we would soon learn that back in 1977, 22-year-old Dafoe co-founded the Wooster Group, an experimental theatre company based in New York. Three years earlier, he was part of the avant-garde company Theatre X, which at the time took inspiration from Living Theatre and Grotowski. As for Dafoe, what strikes us of his filmography is his versatility, his flexibility in playing such different roles in such different features. Take Abel Ferrara’s Siberia and, the year later, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.

Great filmmakers love him, his bodily balance, his hollowed face, his tense, nervous body: Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man saga), Lars von Trier, Wes Anderson, and Yorgos Lanthimos. Picking Dafoe as director of the Venice Theatre Biennale is a bold, though reassuring move, as the Biennale is working to strengthen the programmes that now enjoy lesser mediatic impact. What is certain is that Dafoe will give all the commitment and professionalism that he demonstrated throughout his career. It is possible that, under his direction, we shall see programmes oriented towards ‘body theatre’, of strong performative character, far from the great meta-narratives, because these have been the sources of Dafoe’s upbringing. We are looking forward to projects aimed at producing high-visibility events, all while keeping true to Biennale’s scouting mission and promotion of the most innovative and creative art subjects. After all, last year, Brian Eno’s concert for the Venice Music Biennale sold out at Fenice—twice.