Spiro Scimone (b. 1964) is an Italian author and actor born in Messina, who in 1994 founded the theatrical company Scimone Sframeli together with actor/director Francesco Sframeli. In the same year he wrote his first play Nunzio in Messina dialect, which won the award “New Writers” and the Gold Medal for playwriting 1995 awarded by the Italian Institute of Drama (IDI). With this same play, the company began their collaboration with one of the most eminent and respected figures in contemporary Italian theatre: Carlo CECCHI. In fact the latter, after directing them in the work, he involved Scimone and Sframeli in his Shakespeare trilogy (Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure). In 1996 Scimone wrote Bar which was presented at the Art Festival of Taormina and featured Valerio Binasco as director and Titina Maselli as scene designer. In the same year Scimone and Sframeli won the UBU award for “Best new Author” and “Best new actor”. In 1999 the two actors performed in La Festa by Scimone (award Candoni Arta Terme for best new play 1997) featuring direction by Gianfelice Imparato. In 2001 Scimone and Sframeli perform and direct the film Two Friends based on the play “Nunzio”, for which they win the “Leone D’Oro for best new film at the Venice film festival in 2002, and were candidates for best new directors for the David di Donatello, Nastri d’Argento, European Film Awards. In 2003 the company run a co-production together with the Autumn Festival of Paris, the Kunsten Festival des Arts of Bruxelles , the Théatre Garonne de Toulouse and Le Orestiadi of Gibellina of the work The Courtyard by Scimone, directed by Binasco, scene design by Titina Maselli. In 2004 the work wins the UBU award for best play. In 2006 The Envelope opens at the Festival of Asti, co produced by the Theatre of Messina, directed by Sframeli. The two also perform in the piece together with Gianluca Cesale and Salvatore Arena. The year after Scimone received the Hystrio award for drama and is put forward as candidate for the best of new Italian drama at the ETI Theatre Olympics. In 2009 Scimone’s work Pali, directed by Francesco Sframeli, wins the UBU award as best new Italian work. In 2012 Scimone’s work Down, directed by Sframeli. (Ubu Prize 2012 Best Production Design). The Scimone Sframeli company has performed its works in England, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Portugal, Holland, Croatia, Greece, Sweden and in the most prestigious European festivals, including the Festival d'Automne à Paris, the Kunsten Festival des Arts in Brussels, the Festival de Otoño in Madrid, The Rotterdam International Festival, the Festival de Almada, the Festival de Teatro Internacional Mercosur in Cordoba, Zagreb Festival and the Festival International Actoral Marseilles. The works of Spiro Scimone have been translated into, French, English, German, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Croatian, Slovenian, Danish and staged in France, Germany, Portugal, Scotland, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Denmark , Brazil, Chile, Canada and Venezuela.
