Mimmo, the eldest male child of Giacomo Cuticchio, broke away from his father’s company in 1971 and formed the group Figli d’Arte Cuticchio, which operates in schools of all levels.
On July 29, 1973, he opened the Teatro dei Pupi S. Rosalia in Palermo at Via Bara all’Olivella No. 95, where the cycle of the story of the Paladins of France is still performed today. Here, the preservation of the heritage of techniques handed down from father to son or from master to pupil is considered an essential value.
In 1977, he founded the “Figli d’Arte Cuticchio” Association, which merged with the company of the same name. For the first time, a company of puppeteers was recognized by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. This recognition allows further development and qualification of the activity, which increasingly extends into those areas of craftsmanship traditionally associated with the work of the puppets (“Pupi” in Sicily) and on which puppeteers have always relied. It enables the company to establish itself as a self-sufficient production unit, capable of producing shows and controlling all phases, from embossing metals for the armor to carving wood for the bodies of the puppets, painting scenes and signs, and making costumes.
The company, directed by Mimmo Cuticchio, integrates three main languages of theatrical communication: the revival of traditional puppet (“pupi” in Sicilian) and cunto techniques (a vocal narrative technique of the Sicilian tradition), alongside research and experimentation. In addition to its production activities, the Figli d’Arte Cuticchio group promotes and organizes exhibitions, reviews, and since 1985, a theater festival dedicated to figure theater and storytelling entitled “La Macchina dei Sogni” (English: “The Dream Machine”).
In 1997, Mimmo Cuticchio opened the doors of his workshop and established the first School for Puppeteers (“pupari” in Sicilian) and Cuntisti (artists of the cunto) with the aim of ensuring a future for puppet theater and the cunto.
On May 18, 2001, UNESCO recognized the art of the pupi as an “intangible heritage of humanity”.
In 2013, by decree, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism – General Directorate for Archives Service II for the Protection and Preservation of Archival Heritage, declared the paper archive of the Figli d’Arte Cuticchio Association to be of historical interest.
