Ascolinscena

A review of amateur theatre in the heart of Piceno

Ascolinscena is the theatre review that has accompanied the autumn and winter of Ascoli Piceno, the capital of the province of the same name in the Marche region, for eighteen editions. Season after season, the PalaFolli Theatre, located on Via della Cardatura, becomes the meeting point for amateur theatre enthusiasts: a programme of comedies and brilliant performances that attracts companies from every region of Italy. It is an event that has managed to build a loyal audience, made up of subscribers who return every year, and represents one of the most keenly felt events on the Piceno cultural scene.

A competition open to all of Italy

The heart of Ascolinscena is the competition: the call for entries, published annually on the PalaFolli website, is open to all Italian amateur companies wishing to stage a comedy or a brilliant performance, in standard Italian or dialect. For the 2025-2026 edition, entries were received from dozens of companies from across the peninsula, a testament to the reputation the review has earned over the years. A jury and audience approval determine the winners in the categories of best performance, best staging, and best male and female performances, both leading and supporting.

Avis In Corto and the final evening

Alongside the main review is Avis In Corto, the competition dedicated to theatrical short films, organised in collaboration with AVIS Provinciale di Ascoli Piceno: three short performances compete for the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Drops, awarded by audience vote. The final evening, always held at the PalaFolli, is the highlight: featuring performances outside the competition by the organising companies and the awards ceremony, it closes the season with a collective celebration. The awards are handcrafted items made by students from the "Osvaldo Licini" Art High School in Ascoli Piceno.

The organising companies

Ascolinscena is promoted by three local entities: I DonAttori, Li Freciute, and the Compagnia dei Folli, who manage the PalaFolli Theatre and curate the entire programme. Their work has transformed a city space into a small home for amateur theatre, capable of keeping alive a popular tradition in the Marche region built on volunteerism, passion, and fun. After the eighteenth edition, which concluded in March 2026, the appointment is already set for the nineteenth edition, scheduled to begin in October 2026.