Scu.Te.R. Festival

Scu.Te.R. Festival: theatre by students in Vigliano Biellese

The Scu.Te.R. Festival (an acronym for School-Theatre-Youth) is one of the most deeply rooted cultural events in the Biella area. Every year, at the beginning of summer, the Teatro E.R.I.O.S. in Vigliano Biellese, in the heart of the province of Biella, Piedmont, opens its doors to productions created by high school theatre workshops. With over thirty years of history, the festival is considered the longest-running school theatre showcase in the region.

A project connecting school, city, and theatre

The event is the result of a collaboration between the Teatro Stabile di Biella, the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Vigliano Biellese, and the Liceo G. e Q. Sella in Biella. The heart of the project is director Renato Iannì, who has spent years leading theatre workshops for local students, transforming educational work into full-fledged theatrical productions. These are not merely school plays, but performances crafted with care, focusing on thematic research and physical stage presence.

2026 Edition: The 20th Century and Shakespeare

The 2026 edition took place on Friday, June 5th, and Saturday, June 6th, at 9:00 PM on the Erios stage. The first evening featured Novecento, the Pianist on the Ocean, loosely inspired by the famous text by Alessandro Baricco: a story of travel, imagination, and the search for one's roots, in an ocean that transforms them into music. The second evening presented Shakespeare and the Revolt of Women, a montage of fragments taken from Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Othello, in which the performers reclaim roles traditionally played by men.

Both shows featured a company of about eighteen young performers, almost all making their debut and mostly from the Liceo G. e Q. Sella in Biella. Adaptation, stage movement, and direction are by Renato Iannì, assisted by assistant director Aurora Fila. The Novecento performance had a repeat show on Tuesday, June 9th, at the Teatro Comunale in Sandigliano.

The Teatro E.R.I.O.S., a historic venue

The festival's venue is one of the iconic landmarks of Vigliano Biellese. The acronym E.R.I.O.S. stands for Ermanno Rivetti Opere Sociali: the theatre owes its existence to industrialist Ermanno Rivetti, who commissioned it to complete the workers' village built around the Pettinatura Italiana factory. The hall has 285 seats in the stalls, for a total of 337 including the gallery, and represents an example of industrial and social heritage in the Biella area now dedicated to culture.

Why it is worth attending

The Scu.Te.R. Festival is an event that highlights the bond between school, community, and theatre in the Biella region. For those visiting Piedmont in late spring, it is an opportunity to discover an authentic event, far from the mainstream circuits, where the passion of young people and the experience of a dedicated director bring a vibrant and surprising theatre to life.