Madonna celebrates 66th birthday with art fund

ROME –

Madonna will fund an arts project involving young people, she announced at her 66th birthday celebrations in Pompeii.

Visiting the archaeological park of Pompeii on Friday with its director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the American pop star met a group of teenagers involved in “Sogno di Volare” or “Dream of Flying.”

Now in its fourth year, the project has hundreds of young artists performing re-adapted Aristophanes plays, starting at Pompeii’s Teatro Grande and then touring to other Italian theaters. Madonna has announced that she will fund “Dream of Flying” for a year, with 250,000 euros ($275,000).

“This project, generously supported by Madonna, is strategic for Pompeii because it is aimed at the people who live in this wonderful and complex territory, especially young people,” said Zuchtriegel, who pointed out that many of the children involved live in poor cities in the south, where school dropout and unemployment rates are higher.

Zuchtriegel announced that the show funded by Madonna’s foundation will be on stage at the Teatro Grande in Pompeii in May 2025.