Mario Fratti
Mario Fratti, professor emeritus of Italian literature at Hunter College, is an internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic. Author of such works as
Suicide,
The Cage,
The Return,
The Academy,
Mafia, and
The Bridge, he is best known for his musical
Nine (inspired by Fellini’s famous film,
8 1/2) which in its original production in 1982 won the O’Neill Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, five Tony Awards and in 2000 was a recipient of the Otto Award for Political Theater. In its 2003 revival,
Nine won three Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Tony Awards. Mr. Fratti’s nearly seventy plays have received some six hundred productions in two dozen countries and have been translated into many languages. Mr. Fratti was born in Italy but has been living in New York City since 1963. In addition to his writing achievements, he also serves as New York drama critic for nine European newspapers.