Italian-American theatre sprang to life in New York City shortly after waves of Italian immigrants poured into this country in the 1870's. The mass migration brought both the performers and the audiences necessary for theatrical entertainment. Hungry for recognition, support, and social exchange, the men and women from Italy formed amateur theatrical clubs as one way of satisfying emotional needs. By 1900, the community had produced the major forces that created the Italian-American theatre of the ensuing decades. In The Italian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City, author Emelise Aleandri regenerates the excitement of the stage through striking photographs, programs, and other memorabilia generously loaned by families of the theatre community. She follows the fortunes of the earliest nineteenth-century companies and introduces those that arose in the twentieth-century. Within these pages are scenes of comedy, tragedy, vaudeville, and radio, featuring stars such as Mimi Cecchini, Guglielmo Ricciardi, Concetta Arcamone, Antonio Maiori, Rita Berti, Farfariello, and Olga Barbato.
Dr. Emelise Aleandri is an actress, singer, author and producer. She was born at Riva del Garda, Italy, emigrated to the U.S. when she was four and was raised and educated in the Bronx. While working toward her M.A. in Theatre from Hunter College and her Ph.D. in Theatre from the City University of New York, she began a lifelong research into Italian-American history and culture. In 1984, after many years of university teaching, she was appointed the Director of the Center for Italian-American Studies at Brooklyn College, where she directed bilingual theatre in Italian and English.
She is the Artistic Director of Frizzi & Lazzi The Olde Time Italian-American Music & Theatre Company, a not-for-profit group now in its 15th year of recreating 19th century immigrant entertainments. She scripted and produced the children's musical, The Legend of La Befana, which is performed annually in the tri-state area, and last year in San Francisco. Frizzi & Lazzi's most recent production is Hush the Musical, for which Emelise adapted the libretto and lyrics from Etta Cascini's original Italian comedy SHHHH.
Arcadia published her two photographic histories, The Italian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City and Little Italy and The Edwin Mellen Press is publishing her multi-volume encyclopedic History of the Italian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City. She gives interviews as an expert on Italian-American history in the PBS production, The Italian Passion for Life and the NBC aired Little Italy: Past, Present and Future. She also conducts walking tours of Little Italy and Italian Greenwich Village. Her numerous articles and interviews have been published in many books, magazines and scholarly journals. She lectures regularly on Italian culture in New York State for the New York Council for the Humanities, as well as in the tri-state area, nationally and in Italy in Naples and Genova.
Dr. Aleandri was the original creator and Producer of the first nationally syndicated cable TV program about Italian-Americans: Italics: the Italian-American Magazine, which aimed to improve the image of Italian-Americans in the media with positive features about the contemporary Italian-American experience. She has also produced three documentaries: Teatro: The Legacy of Italian-American Theatre, Festa: Italian Festival Traditions and Circo Rois - Che Bella Vita!
As an actress she has appeared in many major feature films, radio, television and theatrical productions and received many awards for her work in the theatre. Among her recent credits, she stars in the title role of Sister Italy (Paisan Films), currently shooting, and sings in Hushhh the Musical, currently playing and for which she also wrote the libretto. Emelise creates the role of The Mother in the film Vito Bonafacci which has a theatrical release date of May 6th in NYC. She has also performed in the Walnut Street Theatre production of Italian Funerals and Other Festive Occasions in Philadelphia, the Off-Broadway productions of Lou La Russo's Sweatshop, which was praised in the New York Times, in plays by Italian journalist Etta Cascini, and also as the famous Italian actress, Eleonora Duse in Penguins and Peacocks. She also sang in Jane House Productions' Tonight We Improvise by Luigi Pirandello and the revival of the Neapolitan musical Via Toledo by Night.
She was the 2001 Elena Cornaro Award Winner from OSIA, 2005 New York State Woman of Distinction, 2003 Leone de San Marco Honoree, and an honoree of Commission for Social Justice (OSIA) and the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge.
