Pirandello Fringe Festival – Six Short Stories in Search of a Stage

A festival that turns Agrigento into an open-air theatre

The Pirandello Fringe Festival – Six Short Stories in Search of a Stage is an immersive theatre event conceived by Roberta Torre, artistic director of the Fondazione Teatro Pirandello, and promoted by the Teatro Pirandello in Agrigento, in the heart of Sicily. The project was born with a clear vision: to take theatre out of the auditorium and into the city's streets and monuments, rekindling the deep bond between Agrigento and its most universal author, Luigi Pirandello, who was born in the Caos district on the outskirts of the city.

Six short stories in search of a stage

The project's title, echoing the famous Six Characters in Search of an Author, captures the essence of the initiative: six original short plays written by young authors during a dramaturgy workshop led by writer and screenwriter Ottavio Cappellani. A jury composed of Alessandro Patti, Andrea Cirino, Rita Gari, Marco Savatteri, Valerio Santoro, and Tiziana Bonsignore selected the six winning works, each inspired by a short story or writing by Pirandello.

• I tre secondi by Massimo Pantano (inspired by La verità)
• La posta in gioco by Michele Carvello (from Il nido)
• Secondo natura by Angelo Castellano (from Il soffio)
• Non è tutto oro ciò che luccica by Rita Daniela Timpanaro (inspired by La fede)
• Dis(accordo) by Giovanni Fardella (from Dialoghi tra il Gran Me e il piccolo me)
• E venne Scialle Nero by Giulia Caci

Pirandellian themes

The six works offer a contemporary reinterpretation of the Pirandellian universe, addressing some of the most significant themes of his poetics: identity and masks, social conventions, incommunicability, faith, inner conflict, and the complexity of the human condition. Each short play engages with its host location, weaving together dramatic dialogue and urban memory.

Immersive theatre across the city

The chosen format is immersive theatre: performances do not take place in a traditional hall but in urban spaces and historical sites in and around Agrigento, transformed for the occasion into scenic environments inspired by the author's world. Featured locations include the Pirandello birthplace, the Chiaramontano Complex of Santo Spirito, the monumental Cathedral staircase, and other symbolic city landmarks, following a map traced in the author's footsteps. The Teatro Pirandello thus integrates the territory into its artistic journey rather than treating it as a mere backdrop.

The final award

The best project receives the prestigious Final Award, which includes the production and full staging of the play as part of the 2026/2027 season at the Teatro Pirandello in Agrigento. The festival is produced in collaboration with the University of Palermo, the Teatro Stabile di Catania, and the newspaper La Sicilia, confirming the cultural and institutional reach of the initiative in the Agrigento province.