Pagliacce

Pagliacce - International Women Clown Festival is an event dedicated to comedy by women held in Turin, organised by the Turin-based theatre company Le due e un quarto. The festival brings together women clown artists from around the world for shows, workshops and encounters with the public, with the stated aim of promoting gender equality in the world of comedy and contemporary circus.[1][2]

Organisation

The festival is organised by the theatre company Le due e un quarto, founded by clowns Martina Soragna and Silvia Laniado, who is also its artistic director together with Soragna. Each edition receives support from the Ministry of Culture, Fondazione CRT and the Piedmont Region, as well as the patronage of Circoscrizione 7 and the City of Turin. Partners include Pagliacce Network, Flic, the Atelier Teatro Fisico Philip Radice, Cecchi Point, the cooperative Il Sogno di una cosa, EMMA CAV, Listen APS and Nora Bookshop.[1][2]

Format and themes

The festival offers shows by international artists, many of whom present Italian premieres, alongside workshops, talks and free activities aimed at families, schools, associations and local residents. Part of the programme is dedicated to neighbourhood schools, with morning shows and circus-themed visits designed to introduce children to contemporary circus and clown language. The most recent editions have introduced relaxed performances, accompanied by detailed descriptions of lights, sounds and stage interactions published online, letting autistic people or those with sensory sensitivities assess the experience beforehand.[2]

Timeline

The 5th edition of the festival ran from 14 to 18 October 2026, with a change of venues as its main novelty: the historic Chapiteau Madera was set up in corso Vercelli, in Circoscrizione 7, while the programme also took place at Cecchi Point, the Atelier Teatro Fisico Philip Radice and the Giardini Maria Teresa di Calcutta. The edition's claim was «Creature dell'altrove» ("Creatures from elsewhere"). Artists taking part included Gardi Hutter, A Nariguda, Marta Renyer, Maria Andrés, Rita Pelusio, Sophie Withman and Naomi Silman, with singer and performer Tania Occhionero appearing in the opening and closing cabarets. Among the novelties of the collaboration with the cooperative Il Sogno di una cosa was the show «Cosa ci fai dentro lo specchio?» ("What are you doing inside the mirror?"), featuring artists with cognitive disabilities.[1][2]

Timeline

9 October 2026 — The fifth edition of the "Pagliacce" festival returns to Turin, in Circoscrizione 7, with clown shows by women from around the world from 14 to 18 October. → Il Torinese TorinoToday

Sources

Il Torinese — 9 October 2026
TorinoToday — 9 October 2026

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