''Emergency Exit'' (1978) is a two-act play by written originally in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

as ''Uscita d'emergenza''. It was Santanelli's first production in 1980 and made him famous as a playwright.

Synopsis

Two squatters share an abandoned house in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. They are both unemployed, previously Cirillo had been a theatre prompter and Pacebbene was a

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretal ...

. The house is in an area deserted after an earthquake and about to collapse.

Productions

''Emergency Exit'' was first produced at the Teatro San Ferdinando in 1980, featuring

Nello Mascia Nello Mascia (born 28 December 1946) is an Italian theater, film and TV actor. He has appeared in more than forty feature films since 1970. Life and career Mascia was born in the province of Salerno in 1946. He started his career in the stage c ...

and

Bruno Cirino Bruno Cirino (25 October 1936 – 17 April 1981) was an Italian actor and stage director. Life and career Born Bruno Cirino Pomicino in Naples, Cirino abandoned his studies in law to enroll the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome. ...

. The play was performed in November 2013 at the Piccolo Bellini theatre in Naples, with Rino Di Martino and

Ernesto Mahieux Ernesto Mahieux (born 12 July 1946) is an Italian actor, sometimes credited under the name Ernesto Maiè. Biography Born in Naples in 1946, he abandoned school to work in different jobs and to live in Milan and Rome. From the second half of ...

playing the two roles.

Response

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; ; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre#Avant-garde, French avant-garde th ...

commented that "Santanelli's work is some of the finest I've seen in years. It is, indeed, extraordinary, intended for audiences who hunger for the rare and the beautiful." ''The International Daily'' stated that "in terms of Italian dramaturgy, ''Emergency Exit'' could be as much of an influence as Pinter's ''The Caretaker'' was in Britain" and ''

La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...

'' viewed it as "a meeting of two exacting theatrical traditions: the grand Neapolitan revival of the commedia dell'arte... and modern-day Europe's cutting-edge, existentialist theater of the grotesque". The play won awards from the Istituto del Dramma Italiano (IDI) and Associazione Nazionale dei Critici Italiani (ANCI) in Italy.

Editions

*Translated from Italian by

Anthony Molino Anthony Molino (born 1957) is a translator, anthropologist, and psychoanalyst. Life He has received a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Florence. His work appeared in ''Two Lines''. He lives in Philadelphia.http://www.holmesandmeier.com ...

, with

Jane House Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name including list of persons and characters with the name * Jane (surname), related to the given name including list of persons and characters with the name Film and television * Jane (1 ...

Grand Terrace, California Grand Terrace is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 12,040 at the 2010 census, up from 11,626 at the 2000 census. Grand Terrace is located between Highgrove and Colton, along the I-215 and Agua ...

Xenos Books The Borgo Press was a small publishing company founded by Robert Reginald in 1975 funded by the royalties gained from his first major reference work, ''Stella Nova: the contemporary science fiction authors'' (1970). That same year Reginald met Ma ...

. (paper), xiii + 119 p. ith cover art by Harvey Fry.">Harvey_Fry.html" ;"title="ith cover art by Harvey Fry">ith cover art by Harvey Fry.

References

{{Squatting Italian plays Plays set in Naples Squatting in Italy