Some of Europe's and the world's leading theatre companies will perform at Milan's Festival del Teatro d'Europa (European Theatre Festival) between Nov. 10 and Dec. 23. The Festival, dedicated to the memory of director Giorgio Strehler, who died on Dec. 25, 1997, is organized by Piccolo Teatro di Milano, the world famous theatre which Strehler himself co-founded with Paolo Grassi and directed until 1996.

The program of the festival includes 22 shows from 13 different countries, which will be performed in five Milan theatres, including the new 900-seats Piccolo Teatro, recently named after Giorgio Strehler.

One of the most anticipated events of the Festival will be the 18-hour long Chinese show Peony Pavillion, directed by Chen Shi-Zeng, which was seen for the first time outside of China last July in New York City. Another important event will be the three shows by Lev Dodin's internationally acclaimed Maly Theatre: Commedia senza titolo by Anton Chekhov, Chevengur by Andrej Platonov and Gaudeamus by Serghej Kaledin. Other leading directors who will take part to the festival are Eimuntas Nekrosius, Ingmar Bergman, Lluis Pasqual, Georges Lavaudant, Christoph Marthaler and Jacques Lassalle. The festival will end Dec. 23 with Giorgio Strehler's masterpiece, Arlecchino servitore di due padroni (Arlecchino, the servant of two masters) by Carlo Goldoni.

Here is the complete program of Milan's Festival del Teatro d'Europa. For further information and updates visit the Piccolo Teatro di Milano website.

Nov 10-12, Teatro Strehler
Makbetas by William Shakespeare, directed by Eimuntas Nekrosius (Teatro Meno Fortas, Vilnius, Lithuania) Nov 12-14, Teatro Grassi
Maguy Marin Quoi qu'il-en-soit (France)

Nov. 13-14, Teatro Studio
Bildmakarna by Per Olov Enquist, directed by Ingmar Bergman (Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden)

Nov. 14-15, Teatro Strehler
Hamletas by William Shakespeare, directed by Eimuntas Nekrosius (Teatro Meno Fortas, Vilnius, Lithuania)

Nov. 16-18, Teatro Grassi
Tot esperant Godot by Samuel Beckett, directed by Lluis Pasqual (Teatre Lliure, Barcelona, Spain)

Nov. 17-19, Teatro Lirico
Bill T. Jones D-Man in the Waters, Part 1, Just You Out some place (USA)

Nov. 18 and 20, Teatro Strehler
Die Spezialisten written and directed by Christoph Marthaler (Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg, Germany)

Nov. 19-21, Teatro Studio
Disco Pigs by Enda Walsh, directed by Thomas Ostermeier (Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg, Germany)

Nov. 25-27, Teatro Grassi
Orestie (world premiere) by Aeschilus, directed by Georges Lavaudant (Odéon Théâtre de l'Europe, Paris, France)

Nov. 26-27, Teatro Strehler
Le deuil sied à Electre by Eugene O'Neill, directed by Jean Louis Martinelli (Théâtre National de Strasbourg, France)

Nov. 27-28, Teatro Studio
Yvonne Burgundi Hercegnò by Witold Gombrowicz, directed by Gábor Zsámbéki (Katona József Színház, Budapest, Hungary)

Nov 28-Dec. 4, Teatro Grassi
Open Stage: theatre writing according to London's Royal Court Theatre (Royal Court Theatre, London, United Kingdom)

Nov. 30-Dec. 2, Teatro Strehler
Cullberg Ballet The Sleeping Beauty (Sweden)

Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Teatro Studio
Elnöknók by Werner Schwab, directed by Tamas Ascher (Katona József Színház, Budapest, Hungary)

Dec. 1-3, Teatro Lirico
Le Misanthrope by Molière, directed by Jacques Lassalle (Théâtre de Vidy, Lausanne, Switzerland)

Dec. 9-12, Teatro Studio
Commedia senza titolo (Platonov) by Anton Cjekhov, directed by Lev Dodin (Maly Drama Teatr, St. Petersburg, Russia)

Dec. 12-15, Teatro Studio
Gaudeamus by Serghej Kaledin, directed by Lev Dodin (Maly Drama Teatr, St. Petersburg, Russia)

Dec. 16-18, Teatro Lirico
L'avare by Molière, directed by Roger Planchon (Théâtre National Populaire, Villeurbanne, France)

Dec. 17-20, Teatro Studio
Chevengur by Andrej Platonov, directed by Lev Dodin (Maly Drama Teatr, St. Petersburg, Russia)

Dec. 17-19, Teatro Strehler
Mudan Ting (Peony Pavillion) by Tang Xianzu, directed by Chen Shi-Zheng (Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts, New York, Festival de l'Automne à Paris)

Dec. 21-22, Teatro Grassi
Giorni felici (Oh, les beaux jours) by Samuel Beckett, directed by Giorgio Strehler (Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Italy)

Dec. 23, Teatro Strehler
Arlecchino servitore di due padroni by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Giorgio Strehler (Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Italy)

--By Stefano Curti
Italy Correspondent