Performed in Italian by students of the University of Edinburgh
by Dario Fo, 1974
Known for mixing sharp political satire with wacky social farce, Dario Fo is one of the most famous playwrights and performers of contemporary Italian theatre. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997.
If stealing is objectionable in a society, is it not equally wrong to let the cost of living raise beyond people’s ability to pay? Can’t pay, Won’t Pay centres on this challenging ethical question and the original backlash of two frustrated Italian housewives against skyrocketing prices, economic crisis and job redundancies.
One of Fo’s most hilarious social farces, the play was translated into English by Lino Pertile (1), and premiered in the UK in 1978 in London. It was revived in 1981 for London’s West End, where it ran for two consecutive years.
(1) Professor and chair of Italian studies at Edinburgh Dario Fo University between 1988 and 1995.
Tickets: £6 – £5 (concessions) Bookings: dariofoedin2016@gmail.com