The accurate handling, the strength of the body language and a compelling pace are at the heart of Gianluca Di Matteo’s Pulcinella, which he has performed since 2001 in his traditional Neapolitan puppetry shows: "Le Guarattelle di Pulcinella".
After his training at the School of Neapolitan Puppetry, Gianluca has staged many traditional Pulcinella plays, but also has created his own plays with a mix of puppets and shadows.
He often works abroad, as a guest of Puppetry Festivals and theatres specialising in Puppetry shows. He has brought his work to many Italian Cultural Centres around the world and has delivered theoretical and hands-on seminars on the Art of Puppetry and Shadow Play.
Mi piace molto scolpire, credo che le storie e i personaggi partano proprio da lì, dalle pieghe del legno. Alcuni miei burattini sono esposti. Uno presso il Center for Puppetry Arts of Atlanta nella collezione permanente sulle collezioni europee, uno presso il Puppentheatermuseum (Vorchten NL) in un’installazione per un pubblico ipovedente e altri tre, sempre in legno e stoffa, sono esposti al Museo del Théâtre Royal du Péruchet di Bruxelles. (Pulcinella, il Diavolo, La Morte).
When he is not on a tour with his puppets, Gianluca creates the scenography for his and other companies’ plays and he works on theatre productions as sceneshifter.
Some of the puppets he has hand carved from wood are exhibited at the Center for Puppetry Arts of Atlanta and at Puppentheatermuseum (Vorchten NL)
His long experience has allowed him to work at the Défilé project for the Teatro Stabile di Torino.
His workshop is included in the program of the Ente Turismo Torino for "Tour the excellent" project.
