ArtWords: The poetry of Michelangelo is a solo performance by actor/director Bob Spiotto that will be presented at the Montauk Library on Sunday March 9 at 3:00 pm in honor of the 550th anniversary of the birth of Michelangelo Buonarotti, one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance.
Registration: montauklibrary.org/events
ArtWords was conceived and created by actor/director Bob Spiotto who appears on stage as Michelangelo. Spiotto’s skillful selection of poetry and madrigals that were written by the artist from his optimistic twenties to his melancholic eighties, provides insights about the emotions and experiences that fueled Michelangelo’s tremendous creative energy. Performed in English. Intervals of Renaissance music enhance the program.
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564) was a Florentine sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. While regarded as a multifaceted artistic genius, Michelangelo’s poems and madrigals reveal what he could not express in art. Most of his marble, bronze and clay sculptures can be seen in Florence and Rome. His most famous works are his frescos in the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City), The Medici Chapel and The Laurentian Library in the Basilica of San Lorenzo (Florence).
Bob Spiotto is an actor and artistic management professional. Currently, he is the Director of Events/Clubhouse Manager at Country Pointe, in Plainview, NY. Previously, he was Director of Programs at NYC’s legendary Friars Club. At Hofstra University, he served as Executive Producer/Artistic Director; Producer of Special Events; and faculty member of Hofstra’s School of Continuing Education, Hofstra’s Summer Camps, School of Communication and New College. In addition, he has been recognized by numerous Long Island organizations for his community service.
In addition to appearing on stage in numerous regional productions, he developed and starred in solo shows based on the lives of important men such as P.T. Barnum, Garibaldi, Leonardo da Vinci, and Sholom Aleichem. His critically acclaimed one-man musical tributes include That’s Amore: A Tribute to Mr. Hollywood Musical – Harry Warren; Shades of Grey: A Musical Tribute to Joel Grey, and Courting the Jester:A Musical Salute to Danny Kaye. In 2011, Bob received outstanding reviews for his direction of the Off-Broadway production of Mark Weston’s Harry and Eddie: The Birth of Israel. *
Quote:
…”thank you for your performance of Michelangelo’s poetry. The atmosphere created was truly evocative of the time…Most importantly, the choice of material was truly inspired. It brought to light another facet of one of the world’s most enduring and innovative artistic geniuses….”