Staging Dario Fo and Franca Rame: Anglo-American Approaches to Political Theatre

by Stefania Taviano

Overview

This is the first extended treatment of the English translations, staging, and reception of the political plays of Dario Fo and Franca Rame. Stefania Taviano offers a critique of the cultural stereotyping and political conservatism that have pursued these playwrights in translation and argues for the possibility of remaining true to Fo and Rame's political commitment while preserving the comic nature of their plays. Taviano shows how the choices made by the translators and stagers of Fo and Rame's political theatre reveal attitudes toward foreign cultures and theatre generally and Italy in particular.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780754654018
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/28/2005
Series:	Warwick Studies in the Humanities
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.62(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stefania Taviano lectures in English at the Department of Modern Languages, University of Messina, Italy. She has published articles on modern Italian dramatists and on Italian American theatre and performance art. She has also translated a number of contemporary playwrights, including Spiro Scimone, and contributed to the translation of Dario Fo's Johan Padan and the Discovery of the Americas.

Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction; Transposing theatre across cultures; Staging political theatre; Fo and Rame on the British stage; Fo and Rame on the American stage; Fo and Rame's theatre today; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'The excellent discussion of American productions raise issues which transcend all geographical limitations, and these pages will be of value to anyone interested in questions of translation/adaptation, and of the risks inherent in altering dialogue, character, setting, or plot, even if the intention is to make the play more relevant to spectators.' Translation and Literature

From the Publisher