Marco Calvani (born 11 December 1980) is an Italian playwright, director, filmmaker, translator and actor.

Biography

Trained as an actor since he was a teenager, Calvani made his debut as a playwright in 2002 with ''Quasi'', commissioned by the European Social Forum. ''Strong Hands'' was his first play to be translated and performed to great acclaim throughout Europe. Commissions from the Todi Arte Festival, the

Phoenix Theatre, London The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located in Charing Cross Road (on the corner of Flitcroft Street). The entrances are on Phoenix Street and Charing Cross Road. The Phoenix Theatre was built on the sit ...

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (sometimes abbreviated as La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theater founded in 1961 by African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer Ellen Stewart. Located in the East Village neighborho ...

of New York, Teatro di Roma,

Théâtre de la Ville (; "City Theatre") is one of the two theatres built in the 19th century by Baron Haussmann at Place du Châtelet, Paris, the other being the Théâtre du Châtelet. It is located at 2, place du Châtelet in the 4th arrondissement. Included a ...

of Paris and the

Festival Grec de Barcelona The Festival Grec de Barcelona (or Grec Festival of Barcelona) is an international theatre, dance, music and circus festival. Over the course of its history, this long-standing event has become a major summer attraction in Barcelona, Catalonia, ...

followed. His play ''The City Beneath'' had its New York City debut at the Sage Theater in 2009. In the same year he also wrote and directed ''Penelope in Groznyj'', performed first at Berlin's

Kunsthaus Tacheles The Kunsthaus Tacheles (English: ''Art House Tacheles'') was an art center in Berlin, Germany, a large () building and sculpture park on Oranienburger Straße, in the sub-neighborhood of Spandauer Vorstadt in the Mitte district. Huge, colorfu ...

and was the only European guest at Bali's international

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) is an annual four-day literary festival held every October in Ubud on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Established in 2004, it is considered Southeast Asia’s biggest and most meaningful literary Festival. ...

. In 2011 he won a residency at the

Cité internationale des arts The Cité internationale des arts is an artist-in-residence building complex which accommodates artists of all specialities and nationalities in Paris. It comprises two sites, one located in the Marais and the other in Montmartre. Approximately ...

of Paris and was invited by the Théâtre de la Ville to represent Italy in an international writing project. In the same year he was awarded the

SIAE The Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE) is a non-profit collective management organization in the form of a public economic entity with an associative basis, responsible for protecting intellectual works and managing copyright int ...

Prize as best playwright at the Spoleto Festival. He created the project AdA (Author directing Author) with his friend and colleague

Neil LaBute Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, ''In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Film Fest ...

, for which he wrote ''Things of This World'' (

Festival dei Due Mondi The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958. It features a vast array of conc ...

of Spoleto, Fringe Festival Madrid, La MaMa Theatre, New York), ''The Second Time'' (

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

Teatro, La MaMa Theatre New York), and ''After the Dark'' (Sala Beckett Barcelone, La MaMa Theatre New York). In 2013 the Teatro Metastasio Stabile della Toscana organized a retrospective of his work for which he wrote and directed ''I am Dracula''. The same year, Glory Kadigan directed the New York premiere of his play ''Oil'', for which he was presented with the Award for Outstanding Playwriting at the Planet Connections Theater Festivity Awards. He is the founder and artistic director of Mixò, an international cultural center that brings together young actors and writers and promotes original works for stage and screen. His works have been translated and performed in six languages. He is a member of the

Dramatists Guild of America The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. It was born in 1921 out of the Authors Guild, known then as Authors League of America, formed in 1912. M ...

and of the Playwrights/Directors Unit at the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

. He is a permanent artist-in-residence at

of New York. In 2015 he was awarded the Writer Fellowship from the Edward F. Albee Foundation. His play ''Beautiful Day Without You'' was commissioned by the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

Origin Theatre Company and had its world premiere at the West End Theatre of New York in November 2018 directed by Erwin Maas. He teaches writing and acting in the United States and Europe. He translates from English and French into Italian and he is an official translator of

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's ...

Bernard-Marie Koltès Bernard-Marie Koltès (; ; 9 April 1948 – 15 April 1989) was a French playwright and theatre director best known for his plays ''La Nuit juste avant les Forêts'' (''The Night Just Before the Forests'', 1976), ''Sallinger'' (1977) and ''Dans ...

and

Bryony Lavery Bryony Lavery (born 1947) is a British dramatist, known for her successful and award-winning 1998 play '' Frozen''. In addition to her work in theatre, she has also written for television and radio. She has written books including the biography ...

. Most recently he wrote and directed the short film ''The View from Up Here'' (US/France, 2017) starring

Melissa Leo Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice A ...

and

Leïla Bekhti Yasmine Leïla Bekhti (born 6 March 1984) is a French film and television actress. She is best known for her roles in '' Tout ce qui brille'' (2010) and, in 2006, '' Paris, je t'aime'' and '' Sheitan''. Early life Bekhti was born in 1984 in Iss ...

, based on his eponymous play originally commissioned by The Actors Studio and directed by

Estelle Parsons Estelle Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress. After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program '' Today'' and made her stage debut in 1961. Durin ...

. His second short film ''A Better Half'' was named Best Short of 2022 by the British Film Magazine Close-Up. His first feature film, ''

High Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

'', had its world premiere at SXSW in March 2024. It stars Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei, Tony-winner Bill Irwin, Spirit Award-winner Mya Taylor, and Brazilian star Marco Pigossi. He also produced it alongside Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon at LD Entertainment. As of 2020, he is in a relationship with Brazilian actor

Marco Pigossi Marco Fábio Maldonado Pigossi (; born 1 February 1989) is a Brazilian actor and producer. He is known for playing Dylan on the Australian television series ''Tidelands,'' and for playing Eric in the Brazilian series '' Invisible City''. Early ...

Plays and films

Theater (playwright)

* ''Before We Fall Asleep'' (2019) * ''Beautiful Day Without You'' (2018) * ''After the Dark'' (2016) * ''Maspeth'' (2016) * ''The View from Up Here'' (2016) * ''The Conference'' (2016) * ''The Second Time'' (2014) * ''I am Dracula'' (2013) * ''Bad Faith'' (2012) * ''Things of This World'' (2012) * ''Nails'' (2010) * ''Penelope in Groznyj'' (2009) * ''The City Beneath'' (2009) * ''Oil'' (2008) * ''Io che non so che fine farò'' (2008) * ''Strong Hands'' (2006) * ''Low Life'' (2005) * ''Te lo leggo negli occhi'' (2003) * ''Quasi'' (2002)

Theater (director)

* ''I don't know what I can save you from'' by Neil LaBute (2016) * ''Happy Hour'' by Neil LaBute (2014) * ''I am Dracula'' by Marco Calvani (2013) * ''Stockholm'' by Bryony Lavery (2013) * ''Lovely Head'' by Neil LaBute (2011) * ''Nails'' by Marco Calvani (2010) * ''Penelope in Groznyj'' by Marco Calvani (2009) * ''The city beneath'' by Marco Calvani (2009) * ''Oil'' by Marco Calvani (2008)

Film (actor)

* ''Tode Ti'' (2013) * ''Borgia'' (2010) * ''Il Commissario Manara'' (2011) * ''Good Morning Headache'' (2008) * ''Tutto come prima'' (2008) * ''Family Game'' (2007) * ''Caravaggio'' (2007) * ''Sweet life'' (2005) * ''Manuale d'amore'' (2004) * ''Grandi domani'' (2004) * ''Sandra Kristoff'' (2003) * ''Su di me'' (2001) * ''His Secret Life'' (2001)

Film (writer/director)

* ''

'' (2024) * ''A Better Half'' (2022) * ''The View from Up Here'' (2017)

Television (actor)

* '' The Four Seasons'' (miniseries) –

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

(2025)

Awards and grants

* 2019,

The Studios of Key West ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

(Artistic Residency) * 2018, Origin Theatre Company, New York (Play commission) * 2017, 42nd Samuel French, Inc. Short Play Festival, New York - finalist with the play "The View from Up Here" * 2015, Edward F. Albee Foundation, New York (Writer Fellowship) * 2015, Calcante Prize for ''The Second Time'', Italy * 2013, Outstanding Playwrighting for ''Oil'', Planet Connections Theater Festivity Awards, New York * 2011, Prix Marie de Paris, Cité Internationale des Arts (Artistic Residency) * 2011,

Prize for Best Playwright, Italy

Notes

References

* Interview with Marco Calvani, author and director of "Penelope in Groznyj" - 22.05.2012 * ''

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 ...

'': Interview with Marco Calvani * Theater reviews - ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' * Interview - BigItalyFocus

External links

*
Associazione Culturale Mixò
* Dramatists Guild of Americ
Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvani, Marco 1980 births Living people Italian male stage actors Italian theatre directors LGBTQ theatre directors Italian gay actors Italian gay writers Italian LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Gay dramatists and playwrights Italian male dramatists and playwrights Italian film directors Italian LGBTQ film directors 21st-century Italian dramatists and playwrights Male actors from Tuscany