A few days after the triumph at the competition, the Masks of the Italian Theater 2024, where the show he directed – De Gasperi: Europe is burning – has won three awards, Carmelo Rifici, Director of Performing Arts at LAC Lugano Art and Culture, adds another prestigious recognition to his already rich career: the Hystrio Award for Directing 2024. This further success confirms Rifici as one of the most influential figures in international contemporary theatre, underlining the importance of his work in the Swiss and Italian cultural context.

A Lifetime Achievement Award for a Visionary Director

The Hystrio Award ceremony will be held on Sunday, September 22nd at the Teatro Elfo Puccini in Milan, closing the third edition of the Hystrio Festival . The awards, now in their 33rd year, are assigned by a jury composed of collaborators and editors of Hystrio magazine , led by director Claudia Cannella . Among the numerous categories, the Directing Award is one of the most coveted, reserved for directors whose vision contributes to innovation and quality in the theatre scene.

Carmelo Rifici, a graduate of the Teatro Stabile di Torino and a graduate of Literature, has worked as a collaborator director with the great Luca Ronconi on several productions. Among his most significant works in recent years is De Gasperi: Europe Burns , a show that captivated audiences and critics alike and won important awards at the 2024 Le Maschere del Teatro Italiano festival , including Best Leading Actor for Paolo Pierobon, Best Supporting Actor for Giovanni Crippa, and Best New Italian Author for Angela Dematté.

The other protagonists of the evening

In addition to Rifici, the evening's award winners included Carmine Maringola , winner of the Hystrio Award for Performance . Born in Portici, Maringola began his theatrical career collaborating with the Living Theatre in New York and the Alchemical Theatre in Berlin. Over the years, he has established himself as an actor and set designer in prestigious productions, including those at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

The Hystrio Prize for Dramaturgy was awarded to Linda Dalisi , one of the most influential figures in Italian playwriting. Dalisi has collaborated extensively with director Antonio Latella and has written plays for notable productions such as Aminta (2018), winner of the Ubu Prize for best play of the year.

A recognition of contemporary theatre

The Hystrio Awards are an opportunity to celebrate theater in all its forms and highlight promising new talent. Among this year's winners is Putéca Celidònia , which won the Hystrio-Iceberg Award for Emerging Company. This group, founded in 2018, has redeveloped properties confiscated from criminals in Naples' Rione Sanità district , transforming them into cultural spaces for social inclusion.

During the evening, the Hystrio Twister Award will also be presented to the show with the most votes from the public, which went to Casa Cupiello at Christmas this year , and the Hystrio-Corpo a Corpo Award for dance, awarded to Marco D'Agostin.

LAC Lugano on the front line

Carmelo Rifici's success also reflects the growing prestige of LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura as a center of excellence in the European theater scene. Rifici, who has led the Performing Arts program since 2020, has led the LAC into dialogue with Italy's leading theaters, contributing to an innovative and international program. In 2019, Rifici also received the Premio I nr. Uno from the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Switzerland for his contribution to theater culture in the Canton of Ticino.

For more information about the Hystrio Awards and the festival: Hystrio Festival.