Ascanio Celestini
Ascanio Celestini is an Italian theater actor, film director, writer and playwright. After his university studies in literature with an anthropological focus, in the mid-1990s he approached theater by collaborating, as an actor, in some shows of the Agricultural Theater O del Montevaso. At that time he came into contact with Gaetano Ventriglia with whom he wrote his first show, “Cicori”a, of which he was also performer and director. His shows include: “Cicora”. “In fondo al mondo”, Pasolini (1998); “the trilogy Baccalà”, “Il racconto dell’acqua”, “Vita, morte e miracoli” and “Milleuno, la fine del mondo” (1998-2000); “Radio clandestina” (2000); “Fabbrica” (2002); “Scemo di guerra”. “Rome, June 4, 1944” (2004); “The Black Sheep”. “In Praise of the Electric Asylum” (2005); “Live. Notes for a film on class struggle” (2006); “Racism is an ugly story” (2009); “Pro patria” (2012); “Speeches to the nation” (2013). In 2007 he filmed the documentary “Parole sante”, which focused on the theme of precarious work, and at the same time his first album of songs was released under the same title; his first feature film, “La pecora nera” (The Black Sheep), based on the play of the same name, a story about the experience of asylums and the alienation of today’s consumer society, was released in 2010, followed in 2015 by the film “Viva la sposa” (Long Live the Bride). His most recent publications include “Io cammino in fila indiana” (2011), “Pro patria” (2012), “Un anarchico in corsia d’emergenza” (with M.L. Gargiulo, 2015), “Barzellette” (2019) and “I parassiti. Three Lives in the Time of Contagion” (2021).
He won the 2002 UBU Prize and the award of the National Association of Theater Critics. In 2004 he won the Gassman Prize best young talent, the Fescennino d’oro Prize, the Vittorio Mezzogiorno Prize, the Oddone Cappelino Prize and the Hystrio Prize for dramaturgy. In 2005 he won the Fiesole Narrativa Under 40 Prize, the Bagutta Prize and the Ubu Prize. In 2006 he won the Flaiano Prize theater section and the Città del Diario Prize, awarded by the National Diary Archive. In 2009 he won the Volponi Prize and in 2014 he won the Vittorio De Sica Prize.
He won the 2002 UBU Prize and the award of the National Association of Theater Critics. In 2004 he won the Gassman Prize best young talent, the Fescennino d’oro Prize, the Vittorio Mezzogiorno Prize, the Oddone Cappelino Prize and the Hystrio Prize for dramaturgy. In 2005 he won the Fiesole Narrativa Under 40 Prize, the Bagutta Prize and the Ubu Prize. In 2006 he won the Flaiano Prize theater section and the Città del Diario Prize, awarded by the National Diary Archive. In 2009 he won the Volponi Prize and in 2014 he won the Vittorio De Sica Prize.
