Mimmo Cuticchio (born 30 March 1948) is an Italian cantastorie, puppeteer, actor and playwright.

Mimmo Cuticchio
Cuticchio in 2017
Born30 March 1948 (1948-03-30) (age 76)
Occupation(s)Cantastorie, puppeteer, actor and playwright

Life and career

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Born in Gela, 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 in Palermo.[1][2] The same year he wrote his first cantastoria play, Giuseppe Balsamo conte di Cagliostro.[1] In 1977 he founded the association and stage company "Figli D'Arte Cuticchio".[1][3]

During his career Cuticchio focused on renewing the arts of Opera dei Pupi and cantastoria, opening them to contemporary themes and to civil commitments.[1][4][5] As an actor, he appeared in several films, notably playing a leading role in Emanuele Crialese's Terraferma.[6] In 2022, he received a honorary degree from Roma Tre University.[7]

In 2007, he won the Hystrio Award in the Teatro Festival Mantova.[8]

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.[9]

Filmography

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  • One Hundred Days in Palermo (Italian: Cento giorni a Palermo), directed by Giuseppe Ferrara (1984)
  • The Godfather - Part III, directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1990)
  • Rehearsals for a Sicilian Tragedy, (Italian: Prove per una tragedia siciliana) directed by Roman Paska (2009)
  • Baarìa, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (2009)
  • Mainland, Italian: Terraferma) directed by Emanuele Crialese (2011)
  • Cha cha cha, directed by Marco Risi (2013)
  • In the name of the Italian people, (Italian: Nel nome del popolo italiano) directed by Maurizio Sciarra - documentary film, episode Piersanti Mattarella (2017)
  • Cùntami, directed by Giovanna Taviani - documentary film (2021)

Theatrography

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Conversazione con Cuticchio". Corriere della Sera. 2 January 2014. p. 11.
  2. ^ Reimann, Horst (1982). Siziliens kleines Volkstheater, opera dei pupi (in German). Deutsches Institut für Puppenspiel. pp. 12–3, 45. ISBN 978-3-88317-009-1.
  3. ^ marionnettes, Union internationale des (2009). "Mimmo Cuticchio et ses marionettes". Encyclopédie mondiale des arts de la marionnette (in French). Entretemps. pp. 198–9. ISBN 978-2-912877-88-8.
  4. ^ Audino, Antonio (3 August 2014). "I sogni del cantastorie Mimmo". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Cutìcchio, Mimmo". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Enciclopedia Treccani. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  6. ^ Conti, Mariateresa (17 October 2010). "Dall'opera dei pupi al cinema: Mimmo Cuticchio attore per Crialese". Il Giornale (in Italian). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  7. ^ Redazione (16 November 2022). "Laurea honoris causa di Roma Tre a Mimmo Cuticchio: "La condivido con tutto il teatro di figura italiano"". SicilyMag (in Italian). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  8. ^ "PREMIO HYSTRIO 2010". archivi.dar.unibo.it.
  9. ^ "pupisiciliani Archivi". Palazzo Branciforte (in Italian).
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