Maurizio Scaparro, influential Italian theater director and critic, dies at 90

Maurizio Scaparro, a leading Italian theater director and critic, died in Rome at age 90. Born in Rome in 1932, he began as a critic for L'Avanti! and founded the magazine Teatro Nuovo in 1961. He served as artistic director of Teatro Stabile di Bologna, Teatro Stabile di Bolzano, Teatro di Roma, and Teatro Eliseo. Scaparro made his directorial debut in 1965 at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto with La Venexiana. He directed the Biennale di Venezia's International Theater Festival from 1979 to 1983, reinventing the Carnevale del Teatro. In 1983, he directed a TV adaptation of Don Quixote. He returned to lead the Biennale Teatro from 2006 to 2009. The Biennale di Venezia mourned his passing, with President Roberto Cicutto recalling their collaboration on Don Quixote. Last year, the Biennale honored him with the exhibition 'Il Carnevale squarcia la nebbia' for his 90th birthday.