Marco Calvani

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

Biography

Trained as an actor, 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 Art Festival, the Phoenix Theatre of London (Official Site *^[1]), Teatro di Roma, Théâtre de la Ville of Paris and the Grec Fundaciò of Barcelona followed.

His play "The City Beneath" had its New York debut at the Sage Theater * (Official Site^[2]) in 2009. In the same year he also wrote and directed "Penelope in Groznyj" performed first at Berlin’s Kunsthaus Tacheles Kunsthaus Tacheles *^[3] and was the only European guest at Bali's international Ubud Festival (Official Event Video *^[4]).

In 2011 he won a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts *^[5] of Paris and was invited by the Théâtre de la Ville *^[6] to represent Italy in an International Writing Project. In the same year he was awarded the Siae Prize *^[7] as best playwright at the Spoleto Festival.

He created the project AdA (Author directing Author) with his friend and colleague Neil LaBute, for which he wrote "Things of this world" (2012, Spoleto Festival*,^[8] Fringe Festival Madrid *,^[9] La MaMa Theatre *^[10]) New York), "The second time" (2014, Biennale Venice *,^[11] La MaMa Theatre New York *,^[12] *^[13]) and "After the dark" (2016, Sala Beckett Barcelone *^[14]))

In 2013 the Teatro Metastasio Stabile della Toscana (Official Site *^[15]) organized a retrospective of his work for which he wrote and directed "I am Dracula". In 2013 Glory Kadigan directed the New York première of his play "Oil" for which he was presented with the Award for Outstanding Playwriting at the Planet Connections Theater Festivity Awards *.^[16] He is the founder and artistic director of Mixò *,^[17] 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 Dramatists Guild of America and of the Playwrights/Directors Unit at the Actors Studio.^[18]

In 2015 he was awarded the Writer Fellowship from the Edward Albee Foundation.^[19]

Plays

Theater (playwright)

• Q – asi (2002)
• Te lo leggo negli occhi (2003)
• Before you fall asleep (2004)
• La vita bassa (Low life) (2005)
• Strong hands (2006)
• Io che non so che fine farò (2008)
• Oil (2008)
• The city beneath (2009)
• Penelope in Groznyj (2009)
• Nails (2010)
• Things of this world (2012)
• Bad Faith (2012)
• I am Dracula (2013)
• The second time (2014)
• The Conference (2016)
• The view from up here (2016)
• Maspeth (2016)
• After the dark (2016)

Theater (director)

• Oil by Marco Calvani (2008)
• The city beneath by Marco Calvani (2009)
• Penelope in Groznyj by Marco Calvani (2009)
• Nails by Marco Calvani (2010)
• Lovely Head by Neil LaBute (2011)
• Stockholm by Bryony Lavery (2013)
• I am Dracula by Marco Calvani (2013)
• Happy hour by Neil LaBute (2014)

Theater (actor)

• Cabaret Voltaire (1996)
• Roland (1997)
• 50.000 Nuits D'amour (1998)
• Sparkleshark (1998)
• Sogno di una notte di mezza estae (1999)
• I cognati (1999)
• After Juliet (1999)
• Zingari (2000)
• Euridice (2000)
• After Juliet (2001)
• Il nome (2001)
• Norway today (2001)
• Q – asi (2002)
• A due a due (2003)
• Te lo leggo negli occhi (2003)
• Guerre Americane (2004)
• Masqueraid (2004)
• La vita bassa (Low life) (2005)
• Guantanamno (2005)
• Room rage (2006)
• Gay panic (2006)
• Le mani forti (2006–2007)

Film

• Le fati ignoranti (2000)
• Su di me (2001)
• Sandra Kristoff (2003)
• Grandi domani (2004)
• Manuale d'amore (2004)
• Sweet life (2005)
• Todettì (2006)
• Caravaggio (2006)
• Family game (2006)
• Tutto come prima (2007)
• Riprendimi (2007)
• Il Commissario Manara (2010)
• The Borgias (2010)

Awards & Grants

2015, Edward Albee Foundation, New York (Writer Fellowship) ^[20]

2015, Calcante Prize for “La Seconda Volta”, Italy

2013, Outstanding Playwrighting for “Oil”, Planet Connections Theater Festivity Awards*, New York ^[21]

2011, Prix Marie de Paris, Cité Internationale des Arts (Artistic Residency)

2011, S.I.A.E. Prize for Best Playwright, Italy

References

Interview with Marco Calvani, author and director of “Penelope in Groznyj” - 22.05.2012 -^[22]

La Repubblica: Interview with Marco Calvani -^[23]

Theater reviews - The New York Times -^[24]

Interview - BigItalyFocus^[25]

Notes

External links

• Associazione Culturale Mixò
• Dramatists Guild of America Official Site
• Facebook page