About Dario Fo
Dario Fo (24 March 1926 to 13 October 2016) was an Italian playwright, actor, theatre director, stage designer and songwriter who also campaigned for Italy's political left. He won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature, and was once described as arguably the most widely performed contemporary playwright in world theatre.
Fo built much of his work around improvisation, reviving older, informal theatrical traditions such as the medieval giullari and the classic Italian style of commedia dell'arte. His plays have been translated into 30 languages and staged worldwide, including in Argentina, Canada, India, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States.
His writing from the 1960s to the 1980s took aim at assassinations, corruption, organised crime, racism, Catholic theology and war. In the 1990s and 2000s he turned his satire on Forza Italia and Silvio Berlusconi, later targeting banks during the European debt crisis, and in the 2010s became a leading voice behind Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement.
His solo piece Mistero Buffo, performed across Europe, Asia, Canada and Latin America over three decades, is regarded as a controversial and widely seen work of postwar European theatre.
Guest appearances (3)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring Dario Fo.
Guest appearances 1 to 3 of 3.
7:43Paolo Rossi - La Storia Di Gesu虁 E Cossiga Dedicato A Dario Fo虁,1992
Paolo Rossi
84.3K views
10:38Edoardo Ferrario in "Il funerale di Dario Fo"
Alessandro Gori
13.8K views
2:23Giorgio Gaber e Dario Fo - Il Mio Amico Aldo
Giorgio Gaberscik
11.3K viewsChannels on this page: Paolo Rossi, Alessandro Gori, Giorgio Gaberscik
Frequently asked questions
Did Dario Fo win the Nobel Prize?
Yes, Dario Fo, the Italian playwright, actor and theatre director, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997.
What theatrical traditions did Dario Fo draw on?
Much of his work rests on improvisation and revives older, informal traditions such as the medieval giullari and the Italian commedia dell'arte.
What is Mistero Buffo?
Mistero Buffo is a solo piece by Dario Fo, performed across Europe, Asia, Canada and Latin America over three decades and regarded as a controversial and widely seen work of postwar European theatre.
What did Dario Fo satirize?
From the 1960s to the 1980s his plays targeted corruption, organised crime, racism, Catholic theology and war, and later he turned his satire on Silvio Berlusconi and on banks.
How widely are Dario Fo's plays performed?
His plays have been translated into 30 languages and staged in countries such as Argentina, India, Poland, South Africa and Sweden, and he was once called arguably the most widely performed contemporary playwright.
