Silvio D'Amico
Silvio D'Amico (3 February 1887 – 1 April 1955) was an Italian theatre critic, journalist, and theorist of Italian theatre. Not a Fascist himself, D'Amico was the major theatre critic during the ventennio, i.e. the twenty years (1922–1945) of Fascist rule in Italy. He was the first editor of the nine-volume Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo (Encyclopedia of Performing Arts), published between 1954 and 1965, that covered theatre, music, cinema, and dance.
Silvio D'Amico

Public domain
- Name
- Silvio D'Amico
- Born
- 3 February 1887
- Birthplace
- Rome, Kingdom of Italy
- Place of death
- Rome, Italy
- Occupation
- * Theatre critic
- Died
- 1955 · Rome.
- Nationality
- Italy · Kingdom of Italy
- Education
- Sapienza University of Rome
- Languages
- Italian
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Silvio D'Amico (3 February 1887 – 1 April 1955) was an Italian theatre critic, journalist, and theorist of Italian theatre. Not a Fascist himself, D'Amico was the major theatre critic during the ventennio, i.e. the twenty years (1922–1945) of Fascist rule in Italy. He was the first editor of the nine-volume Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo (Encyclopedia of Performing Arts), published between 1954 and 1965, that covered theatre, music, cinema, and dance.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Silvio D'Amico. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
getty · 500458174 · gnd · 4604353-6 · wikidata · Q1005945 · wikipedia · Silvio D'Amico
In this article
Biography
Biography
Most notably, he held an eminent position in theatrical study in Italy, giving his name to the Silvio D'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome, Italy's most prestigious drama school.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Silvio D'Amico • Born — 3 February 1887 • Birthplace — Rome, Kingdom of Italy • Place of death — Rome, Italy • Occupation — * Theatre critic • journalist • theorist of Italian theater • Children — 2
Biography
Biography
A Catholic, D'Amico was educated by Jesuits at Rome's Massimiliano Massimo Institute. After graduating in law in 1911, he was appointed to the Ministry of Education as the Directorate General for Antiquities and Fine Arts. In 1923, he became a professor of theatre history at the Royal School of Acting "Eleonora Duse." He met Duse when he was young and ambitious, a time when D'Amico wanted to create an Italian national theatre that produced works of young Italian playwrights. Between 1925 and 1940, he directed dramatic criticism in the La Tribune newspaper. With Nicola De Pirro, he founded the magazine Scenario in 1932. They directed it together for three years, after which De Pirro continued alone. In 1934, he was appointed Special Commissioner for the reform of the drama school in Rome. The following year, he became the head of the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico which, since the 1940s, has taught many of Italy's most successful actors. In the years after World War II, he devoted most of his time to the academy. From 1937 to 1943, he directed the Rivista italiana del Dramma, published by the Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori. From 1945 to 1955, he was the critic of Il Tempo. He was a major contributor to the Teatro del Novecento encyclopedia, contributing to 11 of its volumes. D'Amico championed the works of the Italian dramatist, novelist, and short story writer Luigi Pirandello. In turn, Pirandello spoke of D'Amico as "the priest".
Personal life
Personal life
He had at least two children. A son, Fedele D'Amico (nickname: Lele), who was a musicologist, married the Italian screenwriter, Suso Cecchi d'Amico, in 1938. Another son, Alessandro d'Amico, married Pirandello's granddaughter, Maria Luisa Aguirre. D'Amico's brother, Mario, worked on the Enciclopedia with him. He died in Rome in April 1955. At the news of his death, the theatres of the capital remained closed for mourning.
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Rome
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 4604353-6, Accademia nazionale d'arte drammatica Silvio D'Amico.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500458174, Accademia nazionale d'arte drammatica "Silvio d'Amico".
General reference · The Getty Research Institute
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1005945: Silvio D'Amico
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Silvio D'Amico”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1005945: Silvio D'AmicoWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 4604353-6, Accademia nazionale d'arte drammatica Silvio D'Amico.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessauthority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500458174, Accademia nazionale d'arte drammatica "Silvio d'Amico".The Getty Research Institute
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Silvije Strahimir KranjčevićAuthor
- Silvina OcampoAuthor
- Silvino Lopes ÉvoraAuthor
- Silvino VidalAuthor
- Silvio PellicoAuthor
- Silvio RaffoAuthor
- Silvio RodríguezAuthor
- Sílvio RomeroAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Silvio D'Amico?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.