Author and performer of a repertoire that belongs to the so-called civil theatre, he has been involved in dramaturgy since the seventies. His activity is distinguished by his taste for studying texts and researching sources and by the continuous juxtaposition of facts with theatrical inventions that are often irreverent and ironic; his shows, in this way, address complex issues.
Marco Paolini at the train drivers’ festival in Pistoia in 2008.
Paolini – whose shows are mostly developed in monologues often recited in the Venetian language – is considered one of the greatest exponents of the so-called “first generation” of that “quasi-genre” usually defined as narrative theatre: a theatre that, in the wake of the lesson of Dario Fo’s Mistero buffo, is based on the story of a performer who – without make-up, costumes or scenography – takes on the role of narrator, with his own identity not replaced, that is, without playing a character.
It is usual to ascribe to the first generation of narration, in addition to Paolini, also Laura Curino and Marco Baliani: the most significant voices of the “second generation” are instead Ascanio Celestini, Davide Enia, Giulio Cavalli and Mario Perrotta. Until 1994 Paolini worked in various theatre groups: Teatro degli Stracci, Studio 900 of Treviso, Tag Teatro of Mestre and Laboratorio teatro settimo. With the latter he created Adriatico (1987), the first of the Album series, and participated in the staging of various theatre shows, revising among others Shakespeare and Goldoni.
In the 1990s he began collaborating with the Cooperativa Moby Dick – Teatri della Riviera with which he created shows such as Il racconto del Vajont, Appunti foresti, Il milione – Quaderno veneziano di Marco Paolini and i Bestiari (a collection of shows dedicated to the recovery of local culture, particularly Venetian). It was thanks to Il racconto del Vajont that Paolini reached the general public; the show won the 1995 Ubu Special Prize for Political Theatre, the 1996 Idi Prize for best Italian newcomer and the 1997 Oscar della televisione as best programme of the year for the television programme on the Vajont tragedy, broadcast live by Rai 2 from the Vajont dam on 9 October 1997, the anniversary of the disaster. Since 1999 Paolini has self-produced his theatre, editorial and cinematographic projects through the activity of the Società JoleFilm.
In 2013 he acted with Checco Zalone in Sole a catinelle by Gennaro Nunziante. In June 2017 he took part in Musica da Bere receiving the Targa premio of the event. In July 2018 he caused a car accident that caused the death of a woman from Arzignano, later plea bargaining at the Verona court for a year in prison. In 2019 in co-production with the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, co-author with Francesco Niccolini, directed by Gabriele Vacis, Marco Paolini acted in Nel tempo degli dei, a modern reinterpretation of the myth of Ulysses. From January 8 to January 23, 2022 he hosted La fabbrica del Mondo with Telmo Pievani broadcast on Rai 3.
source: wikipedia
photo: Gianfilippo Masserano
