dario fo
Oral Tradition, 15/1 (2000): 26-38
Dario Fo and Oral Tradition:
Creating a Thematic Context1
Antonio Scuderi
A historical analysis, especially a critical one, of an actor’s techniques is impossible if the actor does not have “poetics.” It is by means of
“poetics”—in the themes by which it is developed—that the “techniques” acquire depth and meaning and become a “style.” Totò2 has a poetics that is rich in themes and motifs that weave and dovetail, presenting a whole and complex vision that is always identifiable as being “Totò’s.” (Fo
1991a:9)3
Dario Fo, recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Literature, presents himself as a champion of popular culture. He does this in part by adapting modes of performance used in oral traditions and in various forms of teatro minore4 as his medium, and by emphasizing oral and oral-derived performance over the literary text. Fo was born on March 24, 1926, in the town of San Giano in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. After moving several times, his family settled in the town of Porto Valtraglia near Lake
1
Adapted with permission from Dario Fo and Popular Performance (Scuderi
1998).
2
Totò (Antonio De Curtis, 1898-1967) began his career on the Neapolitan vaudeville stage and starred in many Italian movies, including Pasolini’s Hawks and
Sparrows. He is one of Fo’s greatest influences and the subject of one of his books
(1991a).
3
All translations are by the author with permission from Compagnia Teatrale Fo
Rame (C.T.F.R.).
4
Fo uses the term teatro minore to refer to all forms of performance that are considered second-rate or marginal, deriving from or primarily informed by popular traditions. Included in this category are popular farces, variety theater, clown shows, and comedy films of the silent screen. See further Scuderi 2000.
DARIO FO AND ORAL TRADITION
27
Maggiore. The oral tradition was very much a part of the local culture during his childhood, and he
Dario Fo and Oral Tradition:
Creating a Thematic Context1
Antonio Scuderi
A historical analysis, especially a critical one, of an actor’s techniques is impossible if the actor does not have “poetics.” It is by means of
“poetics”—in the themes by which it is developed—that the “techniques” acquire depth and meaning and become a “style.” Totò2 has a poetics that is rich in themes and motifs that weave and dovetail, presenting a whole and complex vision that is always identifiable as being “Totò’s.” (Fo
1991a:9)3
Dario Fo, recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Literature, presents himself as a champion of popular culture. He does this in part by adapting modes of performance used in oral traditions and in various forms of teatro minore4 as his medium, and by emphasizing oral and oral-derived performance over the literary text. Fo was born on March 24, 1926, in the town of San Giano in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. After moving several times, his family settled in the town of Porto Valtraglia near Lake
1
Adapted with permission from Dario Fo and Popular Performance (Scuderi
1998).
2
Totò (Antonio De Curtis, 1898-1967) began his career on the Neapolitan vaudeville stage and starred in many Italian movies, including Pasolini’s Hawks and
Sparrows. He is one of Fo’s greatest influences and the subject of one of his books
(1991a).
3
All translations are by the author with permission from Compagnia Teatrale Fo
Rame (C.T.F.R.).
4
Fo uses the term teatro minore to refer to all forms of performance that are considered second-rate or marginal, deriving from or primarily informed by popular traditions. Included in this category are popular farces, variety theater, clown shows, and comedy films of the silent screen. See further Scuderi 2000.
DARIO FO AND ORAL TRADITION
27
Maggiore. The oral tradition was very much a part of the local culture during his childhood, and he
Citations: recording on audio cassettes of a performance in Pordenone on December 12, 1991 (Fo 1991b); and JP-V (video), the recording on video cassette of a performance in Milan on April 24, 1992 (Fo 1992e). white skin with two round breasts. She has a gentle gait, like a young girl when she walks” (1977b:72) elaborate description of feminine beauty, which includes firm breasts “that would come together like bells when she ran” (1977a)