Neapolitan playwright and actor Enzo Moscato dies at 75

Enzo Moscato, a leading figure of the new Neapolitan dramaturgy, died on January 13, 2024, in Naples. Born on April 20, 1948, in the Quartieri Spagnoli, he grew up in poverty, which deeply shaped his artistic sensibility. After moving to Fuorigrotta, he studied philosophy and psychology, later teaching philosophy at a high school while pursuing theater at night. His breakthrough came in the late 1970s with "Carcioffolà Scannasurice" and "Trianon," followed by the 1985 Premio Riccione/Ater for "Pièce Noire." Moscato won numerous awards, including the Premio IDI 1988, Premio UBU for Theater in 1988 and 1994, Premio della Critica 1991, and Premio Internazionale di Radiofonia del Festival di Ostankino 1994. He also released five CDs revisiting Neapolitan repertoire and acted in films directed by Mario Martone, Pappi Corsicato, Raul Ruiz, Antonietta De Lillo, Massimo Andrei, and Pasquale Marrazzo. Moscato's work blended dialect, Italian, foreign languages, and archaic terms, drawing on Antonin Artaud and Jean Genet. He championed a theater of the "limit," exploring the boundaries of voice and body, and was inspired by heretical figures like Joan of Arc and Giordano Bruno.