ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST

by Dario Fo (Translated by Simon Nye)
Directed by Gina Kelly

Performed at the Kulturzentrum Brotfabrik
From 9 – 13 May, 2017

Accidental Death of an Anarchist dramatizes (through farce) the real-life case of the 1969 death of Italian anarchist Giuseppe “Pine” Pinelli, who died in police custody after being blamed for a terrorist attack. The play first premiered in Italy less than a year after Pinelli’s death, written by outspoken leftist Dario Fo in an effort to expose corruption and inspire activism. The play has since been performed in over 40 countries, each version adapted to correspond to the cultural and political context in which it is performed, maintaining Fo’s intention of drama as a tool to stoke critical thought. Even the original play was rewritten many times during rehearsals, and Fo sometimes altered the script during performances based on the public’s reaction or in response to current events. The language of the play is idiomatic, appealing to the non-elite, as Fo encouraged translators to use local slang in place of his own. He encouraged translators to change cultural references to maintain relevance. The translation by Simon Nye follows this principle, containing British slang and allusions to contemporary British society.

In today’s world, public inquiries expose decades of police corruption, political interference and scandals covered up to protect the famous, the elite and the powerful. At the same time we have mass leaking of our personal information, gathered covertly by those responsible for protecting our liberty, widespread media manipulation and the proliferation of “Fake News”. Should this not make us heed the Maniac’s final call to “light the touch paper and reboot the revolution”?

Never has this sharp, biting satire been more relevant than today.

 

CAST:

Inspector Bertozzo: Mike Nyandieka
Constable Skegness: Joanna Thorn
The Maniac: Fergus Moloney
Inspector Penniston-Bird: Maria Herschbach-Bosisto
Superintendant: Afra Morris
Constable Chester: Chris Weber
Ms Maria Felkin, A Journalist: Carrie Aßheuer
The Judge: Fergus Moloney
The Bonn Players