Directed by: Michelangelo
La Luna
~ Performance Times ~
Jeanne Cawse, Alina Cerusici, Michael Copass, Alberto Fasinotti, Marianna Fasinotti, Claudia Gregoire, Salvatore Gogliormella, Michelangelo La Luna, Randall Lucas, Massimo Morin, Diana Patuel, Stuart Shapley, Stefania Treloar.
~ Tickets ~
Available at the Sanders Box Office: $3 Students (All Schools), $5 others (daily noon - 6:00 pm; phone orders 496-2222) Bostix Harvard Sq (Mon-Sat 10am-6pm,Sun 11-6,$2 surcharge.) Also available at door.
~ Background ~
In 1997, the Swedish Academy honored the superlative genius of Dario Fo by placing on his head the most prestigious laurels of the literary world - the Nobel Prize for Literature. In a manner that is concededly more humble, the amateur actors of this upstart company have also decided to celebrate the work of Fo. Casting aside the elaborate sets invited by the theatrical conventions of the modern day, Fo has created a minimalist stage - one whose scarceness is reminiscent of the stark performance space of artistic visionary Jerzy Grotowski. Stripped of all ornamentation, the theatre of Dario Fo animates the physical body of the actor, calling upon it to create through colorful pantomime and expressive gesture the setting of each scene. The works of Dario Fo are unapologetically scandalous. He is noted as having "emulate[d] the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden." Allowing no institution escape from the maw of his biting satire, he has incited opposition from all corners - the Italian state, the legal system, the national media, and even the papacy. However unique, "Mistero Buffo" is no different in this respect. It explores several of the most sacred evangelical themes through a lens that is refreshingly novel and daringly irreverent. Lacking coherence in the traditional sense, "Mistero Buffo" is divided into numerous different scenes. Most will be recited in Italian (accompanied by English translations), many will be delivered in a "continental" dialect that is meant to be comprehensible to all those who speak European languages, one will be performed in English, and yet another will be acted out in mock German. Lest his international audience be forced to engage in a challenging linguistic struggle to understand each phrase, Fo traditionally presents an introduction in the language of his host country before performing each scene; in keeping with this custom, our production will offer the viewer a brief summary (in English) at the start of each segment. Ultimately, however, it is the physical movements of the actors that will impart Fo's powerful message.
Here are some images of our group at a recent performance:
