Gianni Cicali (Florence, Italy) is a specialist in History of Italian Theater (Renaissance, Baroque and 18th-century). He holds an Italian “laurea vecchio ordinamento'' (M.A. equivalent) and doctoral degrees from both Italy (Università di Firenze) and Canada (University of Toronto).
His interests focus on Italian theater, opera and culture from the 15th to the 18th century; Renaissance and Baroque religious theater, cinema, migrations to the Americas of Italian theater professionals (mainly scene painters, 19th-century New Orleans). . His last book is Teatro ed Eresia nel Settecento Italiano (Rome: Bulzoni, 2021), "Theater and Heresy in 18th-century Italy." He is also author of a book on the Italian “Opera buffa” (Comic Opera) based on textual and archive research (Attori e ruoli nell'opera buffa italiana del Settecento, Florence: Le Lettere, 2005), and he also authored L'Inventio crucis nel teatro rinascimentale fiorentino (Florence, Società Editrice Fiorentina, 2012).
He recently edited (with E. Mazzoleni, and A.M. Testaverde) a book with 16 chapters (and 17 authors): Migrazioni teatrali e artistiche tra Europa e Americhe (Rome: Bulzoni, 2024).
With Elena Mazzoleni (Univ. of Bergamo, Italy), Cicali edited a special issue of a journal on theater, arts and migrations: Cicali, Gianni; Mazzoleni, Elena (eds.). "Dramaturgies et littératures en voyage" special issue of Cahiers de littérature française (Classiques Garnier),19 (2020). Gianni Cicali also edited a special issue in 2015 ''Teatro italiano fra testo performance e scena'', special edition of Quaderni d'Italianistica. He has published several articles on Italian Renaissance and Baroque theater, literature and arts, and on 18th-century theater.
He regularly presents research papers at international conferences/symposia, and organizes and has organized conferences/symposia as well as sessions for the Renaissance Society of America (RSA), the American Association for Italian Studies (AAIS), the Canadian Association for Italian Studies (CAIS), the Northeast Modern Languages Association (NeMLA). He was invited by De Paul University, Bryn Mawr College, Università di Firenze, Università di Bergamo, Università Federico II of Naples, Università di Bari, Univ. of Foggia, University of Toronto, University of Georgia (US), the Italian Embassy in D.C. and the Italian Cultural Institute in D.C. and other institutions for lectures on 16th- and 18th- century Italian theatre and culture.
Gianni Cicali created and offered at Georgetown several new courses. He explores, with his students, fundamental topics of Italian theater, cinema and Italian culture and society, such as the relations between theater, politics, arts, cinema and religion, including performance with three productions (2007, 2009, 2014).
Gianni Cicali has been Editor-in-chief of Quaderni d’Italianistica (journal of the Canadian Association for Italian Studies – CAIS) from 2011 to 2015, and he is a member of the Advisory Board of Letteratura teatrale italiana (Italy), Quaderni d'italianistica (Canada), Commedia dell'Arte. Storia e testi (Italy), Elephant & Castle (Italy) and Gentes (Italy) and member of the editorial board of Renaissance and Reformation (Canada). He is also member of the board of AMAtI (Archivio Multimediale dell'Attore Italiano, Univ. di Firenze, Italy).