21–23 October 2026 - Mask and Commedia dell’Arte. From the object to performance practices and back again.

From the atelier to the stage, from cultural heritage to performance practice: the mask continues to reinvent itself. Discover its many meanings with us from 21 to 23 October 2026.

The MUSEC – Museum of Cultures in Lugano and Accademia Teatro Dimitri in Verscio will host the international conference “Mask and Commedia dell’Arte. From the Object to Performance Practices and Back Again”. The event is organized by Accademia Teatro Dimitri and the Swiss Association for Theatre Studies, in collaboration with MUSEC and the research laboratory Scènes du Monde at Université Paris 8 Vincennes–Saint-Denis, with the support of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences. The conference represents the first stage of a broader international initiative devoted to exploring the transformations and contemporary reactivations of the Commedia dell’Arte mask.

Over the three days of the conference, scholars, artists and practitioners from a range of disciplinary and professional backgrounds will offer perspectives on the role and relevance of the mask in contemporary theatre. The conference will explore the mask in its many dimensions: as cultural heritage, a crafted object, a pedagogical tool and a performative device. Particular attention will be paid to the relationships it establishes with those who create it, wear it, transmit it and use it on stage.

The mask remains a fundamental resource for stage creation and the construction of theatrical narratives. This will be demonstrated by the students of the Accademia Teatro Dimitri, who will present a performance offering audiences the opportunity to observe how an object can transform into a stage presence.

Follow our channels to stay up to date with the programme and the conference speakers, and visit the dedicated page to learn more about the topics that will be explored.

We look forward to discovering together the many ways in which masks come to life on stage.

📅 21–23 October 2026

📍 MUSEC – Museo delle Culture, Lugano

📍 Accademia Teatro Dimitri, Verscio

For registrations: accademiadimitri@supsi.ch