Scuola di Arti Circensi e Teatrali – Milano

The Scuola di Arti Circensi e Teatrali is a circus-theatre and clown school located in Milan. Founded in 1993, it has been developing an original approach for over thirty years, blending circus techniques, theatre, mime, clowning and stage creation.

The school was founded in 1993 within the Teatro Sala Fontana in Milan. It was later established as a cultural association in 2002.

It has been directed since its creation by Maurizio Accattato , also known by his clown name Moriss . A clown, director and educator, he is notably the creator of PIC – Pronto Intervento Clown and the artistic director of the Milano Clown Festival.

Maurizio Accattato notably worked with Dario Fo between 1986 and 1991. This theatrical experience contributes to the foundations of a pedagogy in which the clown is considered as a true artistic language and a tool for communication.

The unique aspect of this school is that it doesn't completely separate theatre and circus techniques. Students simultaneously work on their bodies, acting, audience interaction, and various circus disciplines.

Courses and target audiences

Regular classes are open to multiple generations.

For the year 2026-2027 , the school offers annual courses for children aged 4 to 7 , children aged 8 to 12 , teenagers and adults .

Adults can follow different levels in order to continue their progression over several years.

Each course combines several disciplines. Clowning naturally constitutes one of the major axes of the teaching.

Clowning at the heart of pedagogy

The students gradually work towards discovering their own clown character rather than simply reproducing a predefined character.

Clown training is based in particular on body work, the relationship to space and others, action and reaction, gaze, improvisation and the transformation of ordinary situations.

Students also discover some major references from the clown and circus tradition and can work from existing gags before developing their own expression.

Mime and pantomime

Mime and pantomime also occupy an important place.

The work may include the breakdown of body movements, fixed points, different ways of walking, and the development of body expression.

Non-verbal communication is therefore a central element of the school's pedagogy.

Theatrical practice

Theatre practice complements this approach. Students work on acting, improvisation, stage presence and the construction of a performance.

For second-year adults, the program also addresses work around psychophysical actions developed from Stanislavski .

Circus techniques

Circus techniques also occupy an important place in each annual curriculum.

• Juggling : the school has balls, scarves and clubs which allow for the gradual development of coordination, rhythm and manipulation.
• Unicycle : it is also part of the equipment and techniques accessible to students.
• Balance disciplines : these include slacklining and rola-bola.
• Stilts : they allow you to work on another form of balance while being particularly suited to interventions and parades in public spaces.
• Ground acrobatics : it is also one of the fundamental disciplines of the school.
• Acrobalance and human pyramids : they allow us to address teamwork, trust and acrobatic lifts.

Aerial disciplines

The school is also developing a curriculum dedicated to aerial disciplines.

Aerial silks are regularly integrated into specific courses and workshops.

The aerial hoop is also among the available apparatus.

Internships and workshops allow for occasional in-depth study of clowning, mime, clown therapy, aerial silks, aerial disciplines, acrobatics and acrobalance.

The teaching staff

The teaching team is made up of professionals specializing in different circus and theatrical disciplines.

Italian and international artists regularly come to offer workshops and masterclasses.

Throughout its history, the school has welcomed artists and educators from the fields of clowning, mime, juggling, acrobatics and contemporary circus.

Personal expression and creation of shows

However, the goal is not solely to accumulate technical skills.

The school seeks to guide each student towards a form of personal expression by using clowning and circus arts as tools for body awareness, communication, and creation.

The process results in the creation of real shows.

The students are working on the construction of a complete show including acts, dramaturgy, costumes, music, lighting and set design.

Costumes and some accessories can be made from recycled materials , adding a creative and artistic element to the experience.

Each year, the different groups present their creations to an audience.

The stage is therefore an essential component of the pedagogy: students do not only practice a discipline, they also learn to construct an act and to interact with the spectators.

This approach has gradually enabled some students to pursue professional practice.

Artistic companies and collectives

The school also has its own artistic companies and collectives, notably PIC – Pronto Intervento Clown and Clown Minimi .

The PICs were officially born in 2006 during an event organized at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan with Maurizio Accattato, Dario Fo and Leo Bassi.

Today they bring together clowns, artists, actors, dancers, but also participants of different ages around artistic and social interventions.

The Milano Clown Festival

The Scuola di Arti Circensi e Teatrali also has a particularly important connection with the Milano Clown Festival .

The association has been organizing this international festival since 2006 in collaboration with various institutional and cultural partners in Milan.

The festival allows students to connect with international artists and participate in workshops and masterclasses.

Public space as a place for practice

The school also considers public space as a true place for practice and representation.

Some activities are thus organised directly in the streets and squares of Milan.

The Isola district occupies a special historical place since it is there that the association developed a large part of its identity.

When conditions permit, activities are organized, particularly outdoors in Piazza Minniti .

The school also develops itinerant projects in the outlying districts of Milan.

These events temporarily transform gardens and public spaces into circus venues with parades, shows, workshops and introductory sessions.

Juggling, clowning, acrobatics, stilts and aerial disciplines then become tools to create an encounter between artists, residents and young participants.

The social and educational dimension is particularly important in these projects.

Circus is used to promote encounters, personal expression, cooperation and participation of audiences of different ages and backgrounds.

The school also develops activities with educational institutions and can adapt its interventions to the needs of established groups.

The current offer and the Accademia del Piccolo Grande Clown

Since 2026-2027 , the offering still includes annual courses for children, teenagers and adults, confirming the continuity of the activity more than thirty years after its creation.

The school also develops the Accademia del Piccolo Grande Clown , a multi-month course allowing students to deepen their clowning skills with various Italian and international artists.

A unique school in the Italian landscape

The Scuola di Arti Circensi e Teatrali thus constitutes a rather unique structure in the landscape of Italian circus schools.

It is less focused on purely technical training than some major professional schools and gives more space to clowning, mime, theatre, non-verbal communication and interaction with the public.

However, juggling, balancing, acrobatics and aerial techniques remain fully integrated into the curriculum.

This combination of circus, theatre, clowning, creation of shows and interventions in public space makes it a particularly interesting school for people wishing to discover circus arts as a true stage language and means of expression.