Federico Tiezzi

Biography

Director, dramaturge and actor, he became famous in 1970s for his productions of Presagi del vampiro (Vampire’s Prophesies , 1977), Vedute di Porto Said (The Views of Port Said, 1978) and Punto di rottura (Break Point, 1979). Participated in many major European festivals with the company he founded together with Sandro Lombardi and Marion d’Amburgo, developing his own theatrical language that borders with visual arts (he collaborates with such actors as Mario Schifano, Alighiero Boetti and Alessandro Mendini).

Later he turned to poetic theatre that unites dramaturgy in verse and stage writing. His productions range from classics to modern and include Ebdòmero (1979), Crollo nervoso (Nervous Breakdown, 1990), Sulla strada, (On the Road, 1982); Ins Null (Verso lo zero) (To the Zero, 1980), Genet a Tangeri (Genet in Tangeri), Ritratto dell’attore da giovane (A Portrait of a Young Actor) and Vita immaginaria di Paolo Uccello (Imaginary Life of Paolo Uccello, all 1985); Come è (As is) by Samuel Beckett and Artaud. Una tragedia (A Tragedy) in 1987; a diptych by Heiner Muller, Hamletmaschine and Medeamaterial (1988); three productions based on The Divine Commedy that was reworked for stage by three poets: Edoardo Sanguineti (Hell, 1989), Mario Luzi (Purgatory, 1990) e Giovanni Giudici (Paradise, 1991). After that he staged Adelchi by Alessandro Manzoni (1991); Edipus by Giovanni Testori, Porcile (Pigsty) by Pasolini (1994), In the Jungle of Cities by Brecht, l’Assoluto naturale (The Natural Absolute) by Goffredo Parise, Scenes from Hamlet (1998) and Hamlet by Shakespeare (2002). He went on with his work on Giovanni Testori together with Sandro Lombardi, staging Cleopatràs, Due lai (Two Wails) and Hamlet (2001).

Other productions include Uncle Vanya by Chekhov (1999), Appearence Deceives by Thomas Bernhard (2000), The Antigone of Sophocles by Brecht (2004), The Birds by Aristophanes (2005), The Mountain Giants by Pirandello (2007), The Dream of a Morning in Spring by Gabriele D’Annunzio, Romeo and Juliet (2009) and I promessi sposi alla prova (The Test of the Future Spouses) di Giovanni Testori (2010). Received a number of awards, including the prestigious UBU prize.

In 2007-2010 was the director of the Teatro Metastasio in Prato, Toscana.

A great admirer of musical theatre, he collaborated with Azio Corghi on Tactus back in 1976 (Autumn Music Festival in Como), and later collaborated with such musicians as Brian Eno, Jon Hassell, Nanà Vasconcelos and Giancarlo Cardini. In 1993 Salvatore Sciarrino composed music for the new production of Paradise after Dante’s poem, and in 1995 Giacomo Manzoni composed music for the new production of Hell.

The first opera production was Norma (1991, Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari), followed by La traviata (1992, Teatro Pergolesi di Jesi), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Teatro Comunale di Messina and Teatro La Fenice). In 1995 he stages Carmen at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and in 1996 he puts on Felicità turbate after Mario Luzi, an opera about the artist Pontormo with the original score by Giacomo Manzoni (the 58th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival).

In 1997 his production of I vespri siciliani opened the season at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. In 1999 he stages Madama Butterfly (Teatro Regio di Torino); in 2000 – Dido and Aeneas by Purcell (Festival Monteverdi di Cremona and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino) and La sonnambula (Teatro Comunale di Firenze); in 2003 – La clemenza di Tito (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino); in 2004 his production of I cavalieri di Ekebù di Zandonai opened the season at the Teatro Verdi di Trieste.

In 2005 he steps on terra wagneriana with the production of Die Walküre in Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, where he also stages Il trovatore (the production that later was revived in Tokyo, Osaka and a number European houses). In 2006 he makes his debut in Trieste with Don Quichotte by Massenet and in Livorno with Iris (Mascagni Festival).

In 2007 he stages Andrea Chénier (Teatro Massimo Bellini) and Parsifal (Teatro di San Carlo); in 2008 he makes another production of Norma (Teatro Comunale di Bologna) and stages A Passage to India by Santha Rama Rau. His first Simon Boccanegra was at the Berlin State Opera in 2009, another in 2010 at the Teatro alla Scala. In 2011, after Parsifal in Teatro Regio di Torino, he stages Lo stesso mare by Fabio Vacchi with libretto by Amos Oz, set design by Gae Aulenti, at the Teatro Petruzzelli.

In 2012-2014 he works on The Merry Widow (Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, Teatro San Carlo and Teatro Carlo Felice). In the same 2012 he commences his work on In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (the first part, Swann's Way).

In 2013 he debuts at the Teatro la Pergola di Firenze with Non si sa come by Luigi Pirandello. In 2014 he stages Casanova's Homecoming by Arthur Schnitzler at the Bargello National Museum. Florence.

Between 2012 and 2014 he revives some of his earlier production, such as Iris (Verona), Don Quichotte (Cagliari), Norma (Bologna) and Simon Boccanegra at the Teatro alla Scala.

In 2015 he presented Euripides’s Iphigenia in Aulis at the 51th Cycle of Classical Performances at the Greek theatre of Syracuse.