Author

Pasquale Ferrajolo

18.. – 1935

Pasquale Ferraiolo was a glove puppeteer active in Naples and throughout southern Italy from the late 19th century until his death in 1935. Following the example of his father Filippo, Pasquale Ferrajolo had first undertaken a career as an actor. Then he became a puppeteer through a collaboration with a Neapolitan guarattellaro, probably Giovanni Autiero, according to the testimony of Adriano Ferraiolo (the orthography changes according to the members of the family). Autiero taught Ferrajolo the art of the guarattelle and, in return, Ferrajolo created new plays, similar to those performed by flesh and blood actors. Together, they performed shows in which Ferrajolo interpreted the voices of all the characters, using his experience as an actor. Pasquale Ferrajolo performed in the streets of Naples, moving from one neighborhood to another with a puppet booth with wheels attached. He also performed in other contexts (theaters, higher education institutes, sports centers, seminaries or bathing establishments) and outside Naples. He brought his puppets to Rome, to the international exhibition of 1911, and to Taranto, on naval ships. His repertoire included both the classic Neapolitan guarattelle pieces and other more elaborate ones, inspired by texts for actors by Antonio Petito, Pasquale Altavilla, Giacomo Marulli, Antonio Guarino and Eduardo Scarpetta. He is the head of a family of glove puppeteers who are still active and currently reside in Salerno.

Works

Identifiers

IDREF
263663213