Franco Zeffirelli was born in Florence and studied architecture. In 1940s and 1950s he worked as assistant to important directors like Antonioni, De Sica, Rossellini and Visconti. The latter also required him to work as a scenographer on his legendary sets from 1946 to 1953, beginning with the one for A Streetcar Named Desire by T. Williams followed by sets design for plays by Chekhov and Shakespeare. Zeffirelli has had a lot of experience in different fields theatre, cinema, opera, television and his work has always received outstanding success in all of these sectors.

Mr. Zeffirelli's fame, was mostly established abroad, particularly in the United States. One of the main characteristics of the director's work is undoubtedly the spectacularity, which has been present since his initial shakesperian sets in Great Britain (Otello 1961, Stratford upon Avon; Romeo and Juliet 1961; Hamlet 1963; and all of the performances that he brought to the screen after that). His productions are characterized by a secure control over the stage movement and a lot of hard work and attention which is invested in the outward appearance (scenes, costumes, lights etc.).

Mr. Zeffirelli always chooses to implement this sense of spectacularity in his work, even when he has to confront modern stories. This was the case with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by E. Albee (1953), with After the Fall by A. Miller (1964) and with La Lupa by Verga (1965, with the actress Anna Magnani).
Mr. Zeffirelli differs from other directors of our time in the way that he has always thought out, projected and carried out productions on an extensive scale and always in the ambit of great performances: this often brought him closer to the world of lyrical performances, particularly Italian opera. Mr. Zeffirelli commenced with La Traviata by Verdi, staged on various occasions, though the edition which remained the most famous (with the adventure re-lived in flash back) is the one with Maria Callas at the Dallas Opera House in the 1957-1958 season. The much loved Maria Callas is the subject of his film Callas Forever, dedicated to the final years in the life of the artist.

Mr. Zeffirelli's great love for opera led him to the most famous European and American Theatres, from the Metropolitan in New York (Don Giovanni, Otello, Traviata, Tosca, Turandot) to the Staatsoper in Vienna, (Bohème and Carmen), from the Opera House in Covent Garden, London (Lucia di Lammermoor, Tosca, Rigoletto), to the Opera House in Paris (Norma and La Traviata) and naturally also to the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where one of his productions of La Bohème became famous. At the Teatro all Scala the director Mr. Zeffirelli also directed the diptych consisting of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci (1981), Turandot (1983) and had his last encounter with the world of ballet: Swan Lake (1984), with the artist Carla Fracci.

Mr. Zeffirelli made many memorable film productions from various operas; the most important of these are La Traviata in 1982 with Teresa Stratas, Placido Domingo and Cornel McNeill, Otello in 1986 with Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Diaz and again with Domingo.

The director made his debut in the Arena di Verona with the staging of Carmen in 1995 which was very successful; this success was experienced again in 2001 with Il Trovatore, whose performances were all sold out, and in 2002 with a new version of Aida, in occasion of the 80th Opera Festival. In Season 2004 Maestro Zeffirelli made his debut as director in Puccini’s masterpiece, Madama Butterfly while in 2006 he staged the editions of Aida, Carmen and Madama Butterfly.

From 1995 to 2008 Zeffirelli’s Carmen was successfully staged for eight seasons until 2009 when he signed a new stage design of Bizet’s opera. The 88thOpera Festival 2010 is entirely dedicated to his stage directions of all the performances scheduled: Aida, Carmen, Il Trovatore, Madama Butterfly and a new production of Turandot.

_{January 2009}