Lysistrata | Teatro Duse

From Friday, February 20 to Sunday, February 22, 2026, at the Teatro Duse in Bologna, Lysistrata by Aristophanes takes the stage, starring Lella Costa.

An endless war, a world on the brink of collapse, and a single, outrageous weapon of rebellion: the sex strike. Lysistrata returns to the stage, irresistible and strikingly relevant, to launch an ironic yet powerful rallying cry: “Women of the world, unite!”

Written by Aristophanes in the 5th century BC, Lysistrata is one of the most celebrated comedies of antiquity, yet its satirical force and its message remain surprisingly current. At its core lies a profoundly serious premise: war, the continuous and cyclical destruction of humanity, which seems never to come to an end.
In an Athens where all the men are at the front and politics cannot—or will not—change things, it is a woman who proposes a revolution: stopping war with an unsuspected weapon. A total sex strike, until peace returns. An absurd gesture? Perhaps. But it is precisely in absurdity that great comedy finds its strength: in overturning the apparent order to reveal another possible reality.

Lysistrata is not just a comedy. It is a provocation, an act of rebellion disguised as laughter. Aristophanes’ heroine has the stature of a tragic figure, determined to restore life where death reigns, love where hatred prevails. In a time like ours, marked by new conflicts and old tensions, her voice resounds once again with urgent force. Today more than ever, Lysistrata speaks to us. With irony, courage, and disarming truth, she asks us: “Why don’t you give it a try? Maybe this time you’ll succeed!”

Starring Lella Costa. Translation and adaptation by Emanuele Aldrovandi, directed by Serena Sinigaglia, with (in alphabetical order) Marco Brinzi, Francesco Migliaccio, Stefano Orlandi, Maria Pilar Pérez Aspa, Giorgia Senesi, and Irene Serini.