Member of Board
Italy
Umberto Di Nino is an internationally recognized set and lighting designer, scholar, and educator, with a distinguished career spanning theatre, opera, film, and television. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts L’Aquila (Master’s in Set Design, 110 cum laude) and D.A.M.S. Bologna, he studied under luminaries such as Umberto Eco, Renato Barilli, and Andrea Emiliani, and trained with masters including Fabio Mauri, Gino Marotta, Mario Ceroli, and Antonio Calenda.
Umberto Di Nino’s scenographic expertise has been showcased in over 150 productions worldwide, collaborating with directors and artists of international renown, including Franco Zeffirelli, Peter Stein, Roland Petit, Luca Ronconi, Dante Ferretti, Mario Martone, and Vittorio Gassman. His work has graced prestigious stages such as Teatro dell’Opera Rome, La Scala Milan, Teatro San Carlo Naples, Teatro Regio Parma, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Vlaamse Opera Antwerp, and Schönbrunn Berlin, with landmark productions including Cavalleria Rusticana, Orfeo e Euridice, I Puritani, The Fairy Queen, and Macbeth.
A multidisciplinary collaborator, he has worked alongside visual artists such as Enzo Cucchi, Ugo Attardi, and Renzo Piano, and directed set design for film and television, including Mediaset productions and major Italian features and TV programs.
An authority on historic theatres, Di Nino has conducted internationally recognized research on European and Chinese theatres, stage machinery, and baroque theatrical practices, with studies spanning Drottningholm, Wagner House Bayreuth, Festspielhaus Hellerau, Teatro Vasile Iași, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He actively promotes the preservation and enhancement of theatrical heritage, contributing to PERSPECTIV – Association of Historic Theatres in Europe and OISTAT, and presenting at global congresses, workshops, and festivals.
In academia, he holds chairs in Stage Technology and Lighting Design at the Academies of Fine Arts in Frosinone and L’Aquila, coordinating international mobility programs, Erasmus initiatives, and EU-funded projects such as CANON, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and innovation in theatre design. His research, teaching, and curatorial work have earned him numerous accolades, including the International Award for Emotional Talent (Spoleto, 2011) and recognition for television set design excellence.
Umberto Di Nino’s career embodies a rare synthesis of artistic mastery, scholarly rigor, and international cultural engagement, making him a leading figure in contemporary scenography and theatre heritage preservation.
