On the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dario Fo, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York presents Lu Santo Jullàre Françesco, in the version directed and performed by Matthias Martelli, widely regarded as the heir to the Nobel Prize-winning playwright. Martelli brings to life a portrait of a contemporary Francis—madcap, essential, and brilliantly unconventional. The result is a multi-voiced monologue, a vibrant mosaic of bodies and characters that moves from comedy to poetry, from the grotesque to melancholy, never losing sight of Fo’s sharp irony and infectious laughter.
Thursday, June 18, 6:00 PM (in Italian)
Lu Santo Jullàre Françesco by Dario Fo and Franca Rame
Performed and directed by Matthias Martelli
Teatro Stabile di Torino – Teatro Nazionale
Teatro Stabile dell’Umbria
Bio
Matthias Martelli is an actor, playwright, author, and contemporary storyteller in the tradition of the medieval giullare. International recognition came with his acclaimed performance of Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo, directed by Eugenio Allegri. Presented in hundreds of performances across Italy, Europe, and the United States, the production established Martelli as the natural heir to the great artist’s theatrical legacy.
Born in Arezzo in 1986, Martelli creates a form of physical, vocal, and narrative theater in which irony, poetry, and satire become powerful tools for storytelling and social critique.
His work combines the medieval tradition of the giullare with a distinctly contemporary vision, weaving together history, politics, art, and myth. On stage, he works at the intersection of word and body, transforming narrative into physical action, rhythm, and presence.
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