(April 19 2017) After the great playwright, director and actor Vincenzo Pirrotta (which presented few days ago in Canberra and Sydney, the extraordinary spectacle "La ballata delle Balate"), the Italian Institute of Culture in Sydney proposes the great Italian theater again, through one of the most representative figures of the contemporary scene. On April 27, it will be the turn of Leo Gullotta, on his debut in Australia, with a unique and charming show, made of images, music and literature (7 pm, Parade Theater, NIDA, 215 Anzac Parade, Kensington). "Leo Gullotta, reading Sicily" is a journey that starts from essential and ancient idea of the Great Mother, Mother Earth spread through the voice of the narrator between prose and poetry of the greatest masterpieces Sicilian literary contemporaries. "A mosaic in which the individual tiles while maintaining its identity come together in a unique and harmonious design - tells the presentation note by the IIC -. The glue of this carefully orchestrated project, is given by the artistic value of the great Italian actor and performer, able to communicate with the public as if standing before a group of friends. A journey through the myths and the everyday, between the smile and the civil complaint, where is situated the personal story of the protagonist, that will touch the daily life scenes of his youth, and characteristic moments of his career". Leo Gullotta is accompanied on stage by original music by Maestro Germano Mazzocchetti, specially composed for the show and also protagonists of the story. The music will mark the stations, chapters of this poetic journey, interwoven into literary voices of the distant past to the present-day. The dramatic path, built by the director Fabio Grossi, enhances the writings, among others, by Giovanni Meli, Tomasi di Lampedusa, Luigi Pirandello, Luigi Capuana, Pippo Fava, Ignazio Buttitta, Andrea Camilleri, and many other Sicilian authors. (Red)

ABOUT / LEO GULLOTTA

Leo Gullotta was born in 1946 in Catania, youngest of six children of a baker, meets his acting vocation at 14 years old watching Gassman reciting Adelchi. After some experience in university theater companies, he began acting for Stabile of Catania, where he worked for ten years alongside such masters as Ave Ninchi, Salvo Randone and Turi Ferro. Then he moved to Rome where he started working in dubbing but where most of all, he discovered comedy and cabaret. He works at "Puff", at "La Chanson" and finally arrives at "Bagaglino" where he soon became one of the pillars of the show that gave him great popularity television. He debuted at cinema with Coffee Express by Nanni Loy with Nino Manfredi. Than "Il Camorrista" by Giuseppe Tornatore, for which he receives the first David di Donatello for supporting actor. He will continue to work with Tornatore, both as an actor and voice actor in many of his subsequent films, including "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso". He also cooperates closely with Nanni Loy, starring in "Testa o croce", "Pacco doppiopacco e contropaccotto", "Mi manda Picone", for wich in 1984 he've been awarded with Nastro d'Argento, and in "Scugnizzi". He also worked in "La Scorta" by Ricky Tognazzi (1992), "Uomini uomini uomini" by Christian De Sica (1994), "Palla di Neve" by Maurizio Nichetti (1995), "Selvaggi" by Carlo Vanzina (1995), "Simpatici e antipatici" by Christian De Sica (1998 ) and " in "Il Carniere" by Maurizio Zaccaro (1996), for which rhe eceives the second David di Donatello in supporting role. With "Un uomo per bene" by the same director he won his third David di Donatello at 1999 Venice Film Festival as well as the Golden Globe Foreign Press 2000 as Best Actor. In 2002 for his role in "Vajont" by Renzo Martinelli he receives the Ciak d'Oro and the prestigious Nastro d'Argento of the National Union of Italian Film Journalists. With TV drama, after the success of "La Madre Inutile" by JM Sanchez, "Cristallo di Rocca" by M. Zaccaro, "Operazione Odissea" by C. Fragasso and "Onora il Padre" by G. Tescari, he achieved great success playing the role of the head teacher in "Cuore", again signed by Zaccaro, for which he will be given the audience award Capitello d'Oro of Sanniofilmfest 2002, Telegatto 2002 and Efebo d'Oro 2002.