ROME (AP) — Actor Willem Dafoe, a frequent red-carpet visitor to the Venice Film Festival, was named artistic director Monday of the Venice Biennale’s theater department.
Dafoe, who lives near Rome with his Italian wife, said the appointment came as a surprise but that he was “born in the theater” and trained initially as a stage actor.
In a statement released by the Biennale, he said the program of his two-year 2025-2026 term would follow his own development, “a sort of exploration of the essence of the body.”
Dafoe co-founded The Wooster Group theatre company in 1977 in New York and performed with it for some 20 years. He is more widely known for his film career, including as the scientist opposite Emma Stone's Bella in Yorgos Lanthimos' “Poor Things,” which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival last year.
He is expected on the Lido this summer with the cast of Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,” which is opening the film festival.
The Biennale Teatro is an independent department of La Biennale, founded in 1934.
FILE - Willem Dafoe poses for photographers upon arrival at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Sept. 6, 2022. Dafoe, a frequent red-carpet star at the Venice Film Festival, was named artistic director Monday, July 8, 2024 of the Venice Biennale’s theatre department. Dafoe, who lives near Rome with his Italian wife, said the appointment came as a surprise but that he was “borne in the theatre” and trained initially as a stage actor. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
BERLIN (AP) — Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has dropped out of the squad for Germany’s Nations League games against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands.
The German soccer federation said Sunday that Havertz withdrew because of a left knee problem. Havertz scored in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday and played the full game.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann called up Mainz forward Jonathan Burkardt for the games in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday and in Munich against the Dutch three days later.
Nagelsmann was already without Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and West Ham’s Niclas Füllkrug with hip and ankle problems, respectively, meaning he will need to reshuffle his attack, with Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz and Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav likely to feature.
The 24-year-old Burkardt, who scored twice for Mainz at St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday, is the third new call-up to Nagelsmann’s squad after Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Tim Kleindienst and Stuttgart’s Jamie Leweling.
Germany will have a new goalkeeper, too. Manuel Neuer retired after the European Championship and his replacement, Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen, is out with a serious knee injury.
Nagelsmann has already decided the 34-year-old Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann will start against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart) and Janis Blaswich (Salzburg) are the other goalkeepers in the squad.
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Arsenal's Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
