P L A Y B I L L

“Comedy makes the subversion of the existing state of affairs possible.” – Dario Fo

When I saw a recent article in The Globe and Mail recently about the top five conver- sations Canadians need to have in 2015, I thought of Dario Fo. His theatre speaks directly to his audience’s here-and-now reality. This play may have been written more than 40 years ago but its examination of the complicated relationship between civilians and police is as fresh as today’s 8 o’clock news. Exhibit A: according to the Globe, two of those necessary conversations centre around policing (considering mental health, solitary confinement, brutality and racial profiling).

Theatre for me is a conversation between the ancient and the modern. Theatre is an ancient form that struggles against the modern inventions of “on-demand” every- thing. (Thank you for being here by the way!) Fo’s theatre connects modern content to theatrical tradition: the Commedia Dell’arte, a 16th century Italian masked theatre, animated by political satire delivered by highly trained and skilled

ARTIST NOTE: RAVI JAIN

actors. The masks they wore provided them (and the audience) enough of a distance from reality to be able to have the perspective to mock and laugh at their own state of affairs.

This ensemble of actors is not unlike those 16th-century troupes. Throughout this entire process these actors embodied the spirit of Fo and commedia - improvising, playing and making us laugh in a critical way about the problems we are struggling with today.

Their generosity, creativity, playfulness and, most importantly, courage, has been the driving force of this process. It’s been a wonderful collaboration and together I think we’ve brought this play to life again for here and now in a way that captures a spirit and tradition of which Fo would be proud.

RAVI JA IN

Director of Accidental Death of an Anarchist

AccIdENTAL dEATh Of AN ANARchIST

approximate ru nning time: 2 hours & 18 minutesthere will be one 20 minute intermission

dARIO fOTRANSLATEd BY JON LASkIN

ANd MIchAEL AquILANTE

AccIdENTAL dEATh Of AN ANARchIST

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i llust r at ion: t h e h e a Ds oF stat e

Jacqueline Robertson-CullHead of Hair & Makeup

Erika Connor Lead Wardrobe Coordinator

Stefan DeanCutter

Barbara Nowakowski First Hand

Emma ZulkoskeyDresser/Wardrobe Coordinator

Paul BoddumScenic Painter

Greg ChambersProps Builder

Ben CarsonCarpenter

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Kawa AdaMadman

Ins ChoiInspector Pak

Oliver DennisInspector Bertozzo

Raquel DuffyJournalist

Paul Sun-Hyung LeeConstable 1

Rick RobertsChief

Daniel WillistonConstable 2

Ravi JainDirector

Paula Wing Creative Dramaturgy

Lorenzo SavoiniSet & Costume Designer

Kimberly PurtellLighting Designer

Samuel SholdiceSound Designer

Simon FonFight Director

Mike Ross Music Consultant

Kelly McEvenueAlexander Coach

Robert HardingProduction Stage Manager

Laurie MerredewAssistant Stage Manager

Shannon Lea Doyle Assistant Set & Costume Designer

special thanks: paula wing For her canaDian contribution, michael hawke, emerson group inc.

PROduc T ION

cAS T

cREATIVE TEAM AccIdENTAL dEATh Of AN ANARchIST

Background Notes by 2015 Resident ArtistPaula Wing

In 1970 Dario Fo and his partner Franca Rame were national figures in

Italy, famous as much for their satirical performances on radio and television as for the controversial subject matter their stage plays tackled. They were passionate proponents of what Fo called “throwaway theatre,” work that reflected the struggles, concerns and difficulties of their working class audiences. Fo wanted his work to be useful, like a newspaper article, he said, though he never settled for a mere recitation of facts. He insisted on “a vast mechanism to make people laugh about dramatic events” – in the hope that it would also encourage them to reflect on, and engage in, their own time.

Accidental Death of an Anarchist – which became Fo's most produced play – was ripped directly from the headlines. In December 1969, three bombs were detonated on the same day, two in Rome and one at the Banca Nazionale dell’Agricoltura in Milan, the latter killing and wounding more than a hundred people. Three days later anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli, a suspect under questioning, died after he fell from a fourth floor window at the Milanese police station. The barrage of official (mis)statements that followed were a blur of contradictions, clear lies and self-serving bafflegab. Pinelli’s death was ruled a suicide. In a parallel to our own day, author- ities declined to prosecute the policemen involved. Illuminated by indignation and guided by laughter, Fo wrote this play he called a “grotesque farce about a tragic farce.” Performances attracted passionate audience support and plenty of strong opposition from those in power. Along the way, a piece of throwaway theatre became a 20th century classic.

We are thrilled to present this “Canadian- ized” Anarchist, featuring the Soulpepper directing debut of Resident Artist Ravi Jain. With Fo’s blessing, Jain and Resident Artist (and dramaturge) Paula Wing replaced the Italian references with Toronto associations. Brace yourself: the combination of Fo’s vintage comedy and the crazy contradictions of the city we all love packs a wicked punch. Welcome to our 2015 season!

PL AY wRIghT BIO

Dario Fo was born in 1926 in San Giano on Lago Maggiore. Possessed of an antic spirit and an electric energy, Mr. Fo is a playwright, actor, painter, designer, director, and eternal student of life. He has written more than 70 plays, many in close collaboration with his wife and partner Franca Rame. His most inter-nationally produced work is Accidental Death of an Anarchist. A modern descendant of the medieval jesters, Fo won the 1997 Nobel Prize for Literature, an honour he dedicated to Rame. He continues to perform original work that is profoundly, hilariously engaged with the world he lives in.

TR ANSL AT ORS

Jon Laskin and Michael Aquilante are Dario Fo’s American translators. Their Accidental Death of an Anarchist has been staged in Alaska, Chicago, London and Dublin. Like Fo and Rame, Laskin and Aquilante live and work together.

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