Shay Mace
Italian Fringe Festivals have started to catch the international media’s attention in the past few years – with spectacles across last Autumn taking place both in Milan in Lombardy, and Catania in Sicily. Both the Milan OFF Fringe Festival and Catania OFF Fringe Festival are inspired by a mix of independent arts festivals across Europe – including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Avignon OFF Festival and Prague Fringe in their ranks. It’s perhaps no surprise then that a group of shows find themselves arriving at Prague over the next two weeks after successful runs in Italy.
Making its international debut, Beatrice Schiaffino takes us back in time in her solo show The High Priestess Johanna (27th-30th), described as a powerful anthem to female emancipation, and a journey that weaves together history, legend, and spirituality. Schiaffino is a respected TV actor in her home country, bringing to light the stories of women in the Middle Ages, inspired by freedom, disobedience, and a tarot card. It looks to be an intriguing offering exploring the intersection of gender and spirituality.
Already featured in our Queer Fringe highlights, Antonio Anzilotti De Nitto also arrives with the first English language presentation of Roots – Radici (25, 29 & 30 May), fresh from that Catania OFF Fringe Festival this past autumn. Roots explores three intertwined stories – a boxer, a doctor, and a young boy.
Staying on the boxing theme, you’ll catch an interesting story in Pequodcompagnia’s Boxeur (25th, 26th & 28th), set in the aftermath of the Second World War and following the true-to-life story of the well-anticipated boxing match between Victor Young Perez and Eugene Smith Lorenzoni. A match designed to celebrate the end of the war and the return to normal life.
Prague Fringe 2026 is the 25th edition of the festival, and will run from May 22nd – 30th at venues across Malá Strana in the Czech capital. Find out more and book your tickets using the Prague Fringe Online Box Office.
