Mimmo Cuticchio (born 30 March 1948) is an Italian cantastorie,

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the ...

, actor and playwright.

Life and career

Born in

Gela Gela (Sicilian and ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the regional autonomy, Autonomous Region of Sicily, Italy; in terms of area and population, it is the largest municipality on the southern coast of Sicily. Gela is part of the Province o ...

, the son of Giacomo, a puppeteer who had a travelling theatre, Cuticchio inherited the family legacy and in 1973 founded the Teatro dei Pupi Santa Rosalia, an

Opera dei Pupi The Opera dei Pupi ( in Palermo, in Catania; ''"Opera of the Puppets"'') is a marionette theatrical representation of Frankish romantic poems traditionally performed in Sicily, Italy. Inscribed in the UNESCO's List of the Oral and Intangible ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

. The same year he wrote his first

cantastoria (; also spelled , or ) comes from Italian for "story-singer" and is known by many other names around the world. It is a theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be paint ...

play, ''Giuseppe Balsamo conte di Cagliostro''. In 1977 he founded the association and stage company "Figli D'Arte Cuticchio". During his career Cuticchio focused on renewing the arts of

and cantastoria, opening them to contemporary themes and to civil commitments. As an actor, he appeared in several films, notably playing a leading role in

Emanuele Crialese Emanuele Crialese (; born 27 May 1965) is an Italian screenwriter and film director. He is a native of Rome and studied filmmaking in New York City. Early life Emanuele Crialese was born on 26 July 1965 in Rome to Sicilian parents. He studied fil ...

's ''

Terraferma The () or () was the hinterland territories of the Republic of Venice beyond the Adriatic coast in Northeast Italy. They were one of the three subdivisions of the Republic's possessions, the other two being the original '' Dogado'' (Duchy) and ...

''. In 2022, he received a honorary degree from

Roma Tre University Roma Tre University () is an Italian public research university in Rome, Italy. All its offices and departments are located in the Ostiense district area. Founded in 1992 by the Ministry of Public Education, under the request of several prof ...

. In 2007, he won the Hystrio Award in the Teatro Festival Mantova. In 2015 the collection of Sicilian puppets started by his father was acquired by the Sicily Foundation, and is now on display at Palazzo Branciforte, Palermo.

Filmography

* One Hundred Days in Palermo (), directed by Giuseppe Ferrara (1984) * The Godfather - Part III, directed by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

(1990) * Rehearsals for a Sicilian Tragedy, () directed by Roman Paska (2009) * Baarìa, directed by

Giuseppe Tornatore Giuseppe Tornatore (born 27 May 1956) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the directors who brought critical acclaim back to Italian cinema.Katz, Ephraim, "Italy," ''The Film Encyclopedia'' (New York: HarperRes ...

(2009) * Mainland, ) directed by

(2011) * Cha cha cha, directed by Marco Risi (2013) * In the name of the Italian people, () directed by Maurizio Sciarra - documentary film, episode

Piersanti Mattarella Piersanti Mattarella (; 24 May 1935 – 6 January 1980) was an Italian politician who was Assassination, assassinated by Sicilian Mafia, the Mafia while he held the position of Politics of Sicily, President of the Regional Government of Sicily. A ...

(2017) * Cùntami, directed by Giovanna Taviani - documentary film (2021)

Theatrography

* Don Turi and Gano di Magonza, directed by Mimmo Cuticchio (1994)

References

External links

* 1948 births Living people People from Gela Italian film actors Italian stage actors Italian puppeteers People from Caltanissetta {{Italy-stage-actor-stub