Dario Fo

FO IN POINT FORM

1. Fo has a strong left wing socio/political agenda. He uses contrast and juxtaposition to highlight issues, political perspectives and values.. See notes on political definitions if you are unsure.
2. Sources of Dario Fo’s writing can be traced to Commedia and the Giullari. See Excel text and typed notes.
3. Fo employs farce to provoke laughter and as a means of presenting political issues. In doing so, he combines the serious and the comic.
4. Farce is typified by :
a) Two-dimensional characters. In political farce, these characters become symbolic and representational.
b) Situations are seldom as they seem, and preposterous situations and occurrences are accepted as the norm or not fully questioned.
c) Misunderstandings constantly arise from situations and between characters.
d) The plot can become ridiculously complex and absurd. Far-fetched explanations are used to disguise real reasons behind the play’s bizarre events.
e) Slapstick humour is frequently employed.
f) There is often confusion concerning the identity of certain characters. The audience knows the true identity whilst the other characters remain confused.


5. Fo writes with the tradition of improvisation. Improvisational acting is a vital component of Fo’s theatrical performances. He adapts the scripts of his plays to suit the different audiences and current political issues.
6. Fo believes in an egalitarian theatre. He breaks down the fourth wall and the barrier between the stage and the audience. Each performance is followed by an open discussion with the audience about the issues raised. Fo refers to this as the Third Act.
7. Fo uses satire to create didactic theatre.
8. Employs Epic acting in his use of the aside.
9. Dario Fo’s theatre has elements of Brechtian Epic Theatre, but could not in any way be described as Brechtian or essentially Epic. See typed notes, commencing “Dario Fo’ irreverence…”
10. In Epic tradition, his plays do not seek catharsis.
11. Fo has referred to “Accidental Death…” as “Theatre of Reality because the play treads a fine line between the comic and the tragic; fictional performance and reality.
12. Uses language as a political weapon.
13. Fo’s is the theatre of situation. For Fo, situation is more important than character. See typed notes.
14. Fo is an iconaclast. He seeks to subvert traditional middle class values.
15. His subversive approach is extended to the conventions of the theatre which he enjoys making fun of in his performances.
16. Fo’s plays often reflect very specific events and issues. In this regard, he is the opposite of the universal writer.