The Borghese Gallery’s garden transforms into an open-air stage to bring Ovid to life through theater, dance, music, and images. On Monday, September 28, Tuesday, September 29, and Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the exhibition *Metamorphoses. Ovid and the Arts extends beyond the museum’s walls with *The Metamorphoses*, an immersive, site-specific performance conceived and directed by Giuliano Peparini and producedby INDA—the National Institute of Ancient Drama.
For three evenings, the garden behind the Galleria Borghese building will become an integral part of the show. The project was conceived to establish a direct relationship with the architecture and landscape of Villa Borghese, transforming the monumental spaces into a natural setting in which the audience is personally engaged. This will not be a theatrical adaptation of Ovid’s poem: the performance has been conceived as a sensory experience in which various artistic languages intertwine; the actors’ performances are complemented by dance, music, and video mapping, while paths, trees, and statues become elements of the narrative. The audience will thus follow an immersive journey in which the landscape itself will help shape the story.
The most famous figures from Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* will gradually emerge within the Villa’s spaces, conveying—through movement and imagery—some of the central themes of Ovid’s work. Daphne comes to life at the moment of her transformation into a laurel tree, in direct communion with the vegetation surrounding her. Narcissus, on the other hand, brings to the stage a reflection on identity and one’s relationship with one’s own image, relying primarily on body language and the power of imagery. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice introduces the theme of love and loss through a highly emotionally charged theatrical sequence. Alongside the main protagonists, other figures from the poem also appear, moving through the garden as presences and apparitions. The result will be a continuous narrative, with no clear separation between the stage and the audience: nature enters the performance, and the metamorphoses imagined by Ovid seem to materialize within the landscape of Villa Borghese.
The production is presented by INDA—the National Institute of Ancient Drama—and features both professional artists and young performersfrom the Academy of Ancient Drama and the Peparini Academy. The performance thus emerges from the convergence of different generations and artistic paths, giving shape to a collective creation that ideally continues the project of the exhibition *Metamorphoses: Ovid and the Arts* and broadens its perspective through live performance. The initiative marks the culmination of a broader program developed during the exhibition, which engaged the public through talks, in-depth discussions, performances, educational activities, and programs tailored to diverse audiences. The goal was to builda multidisciplinary experience centered on the figure of Ovid, highlighting the unique relationship between the Latin poet and the Borghese Gallery. Indeed, it is within the museum’s galleries that the *Metamorphoses* find one of their most significant visual interpretations in the sculptures and masterpieces of the collection.
The performance presented in Rome drew on the experience gained in Syracuse, where the show had been produced in co-production with the Neapolis Archaeological Park. From June 21 to July 5, *The Metamorphoses* had been staged in the Grotta dei Cordari, at the Latomie del Paradiso. All twenty-two performances were sold out, confirming the project’s widespread success. For the Borghese Gallery, however, the production has been reimagined and adapted: the Rome version is a new site-specific adaptation, designed specifically to complement the historic and natural spaces of Villa Borghese.
The experience, however, does not end with the live performance. Through a QR code, visitors can access a series of digital contents dedicated to the characters of *The Metamorphoses*, the concept behind the show, and the various stages of its creative development. The digital experience will also highlight the collaboration between the INDA Foundation and the Peparini Academy, offering an additional layer of insight into the artistic project.
The performance lasts 45 minutes and will be presented at the Galleria Borghese on the evenings of September 28, 29, and 30, 2026, with two showings each evening at 8:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Seats are available while supplies last. Tickets can be purchased through the website galleriaborghese.it. On all three evenings, visitors will also be able to tour the museum—including through the combined ticket option—thereby expanding the exhibition experience and connecting the works on display in the galleries with the contemporary reinterpretation of Ovid’s poem.
“Staging Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* in the gardens of the Galleria Borghese means naturally extending the visitors’ experience,” said Giuliano Peparini. “I wanted to create an immersive performance in which the garden itself tells the story. In Ovid, nature is a character in its own right. Human beings become trees, flowers, stones, or stars. Here, the trees, the paths, the statues, and the light already tell the story of the *Metamorphoses*. We have simply revealed the theater that was already there.”
“The exhibition on Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* at the Galleria Borghese and Isaac Julien’s installation in the Uccelliera, titled *All that changes you. Metamorphosis, already prompt us to reflect on the very concept of myth and transformation and on Ovid’s text as an extraordinary source of ideas and inspiration for artists, not only because of the large number of stories told, but also because of the narrative style, which interweaves events and characters with very little respite for the reader, who is enveloped by powerful images,” said Francesca Cappelletti, director of the Borghese Gallery. “When there is a pause, we generally find ourselves immersed in a natural setting, in a temporary stillness that is immediately filled with human and divine presences, universal forces, voices, and movement. Our collaboration with INDA—which we are truly enthusiastic about—helps bring the spirit of the poem to life within the Villa.”
|
| Daphne, Narcissus, and Orpheus Come to Life: Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* on Stage in the Garden of the Borghese Gallery |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
IT
FR
DE
ES
CN
