Rosemary Branch Theatre Announces 2026 Look For The Woman Festival

Look For The Woman will return to the The Rosemary Branch Theatre for the fourth annual female and femme clowning festival, celebrating some of the most exciting new and international performers and creatives in the artform.  

2026 is the Rosemary Branch Theatre's 30th year as a woman run venue - so this festival is particularly resonant. Look For The Woman launched four years ago as a way to celebrate Women's History Month with joy, hope and silliness. This is the only festival in London that specifically brings together and celebrates female and femme clowning. 

The programme boasts a range of homegrown and international clowns, performing shows that are a combination of clown with dance, puppetry, drag, sketch comedy, poetry and even fine art. The Rosie is well known for being a place where great things begin, and so the festival will also host work in progress performances of three brand new clowning shows. 

This year Look For The Woman presents their first family show, Always, Sometimes, Maybe, combining clowning and puppetry and themes of loneliness and friendship, in the first weekend of the Easter holidays. 

Building on the success of last year's free community workshop, this year award-winning and “virtuosic” Swiss Mexican clown Paulina Lenoir leads a session that's open to everyone, whether you have clowning experience or you're just curious. As a free session, advanced booking is advised. 

Artistic Director Laura Killeen says “'Cherchez la femme' is a somewhat cheeky French phrase, a cliché of detective pulp fiction: no matter what the problem, a woman is often the cause. However, to many of us this could be stated conversely: no matter the woman, a problem is often being solved. And usually, with a good dollop of humour. Historically, society has assumed that clowns are men, and so we want to give a platform for us all to Look For The Woman in clowning. I'm excited by the artform of clown to challenge, delight and surprise in equal measure, and I'm thrilled to have an incredible roster of female and femme clowns calling the Rosie home again this March. Look For The Woman is a chance to bring some of the freshest and most exciting clowning in the world to London and share some brilliant art and joy. Join us this March to Look For The Woman!”