Memè Perlini, pioneer of Italian avant-garde theatre, dies by suicide at 69
On April 4-5, 2017, Memè Perlini, a significant figure in the Italian avant-garde theatre scene of the 1970s, took his own life at the age of 69, following a prolonged battle with severe depression. He was born in December 1947 in Sant'Angelo in Lizzola and relocated to Rome in 1968 to pursue studies at the Accademia delle Belle Arti. Perlini began his career with productions by Giancarlo Nanni and made his directorial debut in January 1973 with the influential work Pirandello chi?. His notable productions include Tarzan (1974) and Grand Hotel des Palmes (1978). In the 1980s, he ventured into traditional theatre and filmmaking, including Cartoline italiane (1987). His final stage role was in Come tu mi vuoi (2002). A tribute was penned by Marco Palladini.
Key facts
- Memè Perlini died by suicide on the night of April 4-5, 2017
- He jumped from the fifth floor of his home in Rome's Esquilino district
- He was born in December 1947 in Sant'Angelo in Lizzola, Pesaro
- He moved to Rome in 1968 at age 20
- He studied at the Accademia delle Belle Arti
- He acted in Giancarlo Nanni's productions: L'imperatore della Cina (1969), A come Alice (1970), Risveglio di primavera (1972)
- He debuted as director in January 1973 with Pirandello chi?
- He was a leading figure of 'teatro-immagine' (image theatre)
- He directed the film Grand Hotel des Palmes (1978), presented at Cannes
- He founded the theatre space La Piramide in Rome's Ostiense district
- He directed Il Mercante di Venezia (1980) with Paolo Stoppa
- He directed John Gabriel Borkman (1981) at Teatro Argentina
- He directed Eliogabalo (1981) with Toni Servillo
- He directed Intorno a Garibaldi (1982) for Estate Romana
- He directed films: Cartoline italiane (1987), Ferdinando, uomo d'amore (1990), Il ventre di Maria (1992), Dentro il cuore (1996)
- He acted in films by Luigi Comencini, Ettore Scola, Carlo Mazzacurati, and others
- He spent time in Tunisia in the 1990s
- His last stage appearance was in Come tu mi vuoi (2002) directed by Pasquale Squitieri
- He suffered from depression since the early 1990s
- The tribute was written by Marco Palladini
Entities
Artists
- Memè Perlini
- Giancarlo Nanni
- Beppe Bartolucci
- Antonello Aglioti
- Alvin Curran
- Victor Cavallo
- Paolo Stoppa
- Anna Bonaiuto
- Sergio Castellitto
- Ennio Fantastichini
- Edoardo Siravo
- Tonino Accolla
- Toni Servillo
- Renato Nicolini
- Germano Lombardi
- Enzo Siciliano
- Valentino Zeichen
- Marina Ripa di Meana
- Lindsay Kemp
- Annibale Ruccello
- Claudia Cardinale
- Pasquale Squitieri
- Luigi Comencini
- Ettore Scola
- Carlo Mazzacurati
- Carmine Amoroso
- Giorgio Ferrara
- Simone Carella
- Bruno Mazzali
- Marco Palladini
- Raymond Roussel
- Leonardo Sciascia
- Nico Garrone
- Claudio Magris
- Carmelo Bene
- Leo de Berardinis
- Giuseppe Berto
- Man Ray
- Vasilicò
- Nanni Garella
- Castri
- Ronconi
Institutions
- Teatro India
- Teatro La Fede
- Accademia delle Belle Arti
- Teatro Argentina
- Festival di Cannes
- Festival di Spoleto
- Ministero dello Spettacolo
- Estate Romana
- La Piramide
- Beat 72
- Metateatro
- Spaziozero
- Artribune
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Sant'Angelo in Lizzola
- Pesaro
- Marche
- Romagna
- Via Principe Eugenio
- Esquilino
- Ostiense
- Todi
- Palermo
- Tunisia
- Tevere
- Porta Portese