Originally from Bari, Italy, Mary Mazzilli moved to the UK at 18 and is now based in Hertfordshire.
She started writing plays in 2001, training first at the Soho Theatre and then at the Royal Court. Her plays were performed at Hampstead Theatre (Generator project in 2004), Blue Elephant Theatre (Cavemen, 2005), Etcetera Theatre (The Wrong Sleep, 2008), Old Red Lion and Camden People’s Theatre (Attempts on a Missing Chair , 2009).
In 2007 Mary published a novel co-written with her mother, Addolorata Cagnazzo Riflessioni di un Viaggio, (Thoughts from a journey) - the story of two women from two different generations growing and getting old in Southern Italy.

Mary Mazzilli shares her writing career with an academic interest in literature- she will be teaching Chinese Film and Theatre at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) from September 2008.
Her love for literature has also taken Mary to Goldsmith College where in 2007 she taught English Literature.

More recently, Mary Mazzilli completed a PhD in Chinese and Comparative Literature at SOAS, London on Gao Xingjian and Martin Crimp’s plays.
She is a founding member of Lumenis Theatre Company that specialises in new writing and experimental theatre; she is also a book reviewer for Incorporating Writing online magazine and Fringe Review.

The Accademia has asked Mary Mazzilli some questions:

 
You are an Italian from Bari living in London; you teach Chinese. How and when did you start growing a passion for East-Asian culture?

I can’t think about a specific moment or about a specific reason. I studied European languages at college … I seem to have a passion for languages. It was only logical step to study an Eastern language after studying Western languages. Besides, East-Asian exoticism has always appealed to me.

Which is more difficult, the dialect from Bari or Mandarin?

The dialect from Bari, for sure - it is still a bit of mystery to me.

Which language do you think in when you are angry?

Not sure. Maybe both English and Chinese. When I am really angry I might shout in Chinese. Just joking.


According to Chinese contemporary society, what’s the difference between democracy, globalization and …Mao Tse-tung?

Chinese do not really distinguish them as they think that they are or have been involved in all three. They think they are a democracy, they think that they are part of a globalised culture and obviously Mao Tse-tung. At the same time, though, they are sceptical of all three and they do not know what they really mean: democracy and globalization are a bit of a threat for them, and Mao Tse-tung has been their idol but he also represents a past to face up to and to forget.  

How do you combine your love for theatre and your love for Chinese literature?

I love Chinese theatre and their works has inspired me in my own theatrical work.

What led you to writing for theatre? How would you define your writing style

I started writing poetry at eight and in my view, theatre is a sort of poetry of words, actions and sounds etc.

My writing style is of the surreal, expressionistic type, inspired by Ionesco, Jean Genet, and Martin Crimp. It is also a kind of theatre that tries to impress, surprise and challenge. As a child at Bari, I went often to theatre with my parents. My mother has also written for the theatre.

One of your plays “The Wrong Sleep”, has been recently staged by Lumenis Theatre Company. How do you feel each time you see actors bringing your characters to life on stage?

At times I feel responsible, at times proud, at times I fear the audience. At other times I just let myself be carried into their world.

What has been the most gratifying moment of your life/career?

That was when I decided to move to England. It changed my life … and in the end I was very proud of that decision.

What was the most difficult moment and how did you overcome it?

There have been a few difficult moments, especially at the beginning, when I moved to London: feeling alone in a foreign country. It was also difficult when I moved to Edinburgh for an MA , when I had to leave my friends behind in London. But you meet other people you learn that you have to start all over.


What is hope?

It is when you go to sleep and you know that there is going to be another day to conquer. You are aware that things might change and can get better. It is the moment you wake up and it is not raining but the sun is shining.. It is the love between human beings. Hope is also learning how to be content.


Does perfection exist?

Yes, but it is purely subjective: each one of us makes up what they think is the ideal and perfect situation and tries to achieve it in different ways.


One of your articles has been presented in international conferences and at different universities. It is an article entitled the feminine-masculine dichotomy in a global perspective? Why are you interested in the relationship between sexes ? Can we really talk of a global perspective?

The relationship between men and women defines our society and there have remarkable changes that have changed gender roles. Feminism has created these changes, which are not all good. Feminism is a global movement that reached China. In this article I analyse and compare feminism in China and in the West and how these roles are presented in contemporary works.  


What do you miss the most from Italy?

The sun, the weather, the smell of the sea in Puglia, the friendliness of people, the old towns full of history, my childhood.

What do you miss the least?

The politics, the rudeness of people, the lasses-faire- the fashion, the conventions, people staring.

What is the next dream?

I still have a few: to have one of plays performed in a West-End theatre, travelling, write a new novel, save the world (joking) have a family etc.


What is your message to young people travelling around the world in search of themselves?

Try to be open and understand other cultures, they should not forget that wherever you go you cannot escape from yourself; you should neither forget that we are all in the same boat, nor that we are citizens of the same world.

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Useful links as suggested by Mary Mazzilli

www.soas.ac.uk
www.wmin.ac.uk
 
Chinese research:

www.soas.ac.uk/eacs/home.html
www.bacsuk.org.uk/
www.wagnet.ox.ac.uk/
 
Creative writing MA

www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-writing-performance/
www.uea.ac.uk/lit/Courses/Postgraduate/MA+in+Creative+Writing
 
Writing courses

www.royalcourttheatre.com
www.sohotheatre.com
 
writing opportunities

www.oldvictheatre.com/ovnv.php
www.newwritingpartnership.org.uk