University Theatre performs farce by Nobelist Dario Fo

University Theatre continues its 1997-98 season Feb. 19 with a performance of We won’t pay! We won’t pay! by Italian playwright Dario Fo, recent winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

This classic of contemporary theater is a wonderful blend of farce and politics, combining fast-paced physical comedy with sharp political satire.

The story centers on two housewives who help to “liberate” food from the local grocery store, then attempt to hide the fact from their husbands and the authorities through a series of snowballing lies.

According to guest director Norma Saldivar, We won’t pay! We won’t pay! asks how we survive in a world that is chaotic and absurd and makes a strong statement about the importance of human dignity.

The reason Fo has become an icon of contemporary theatre, Saldivar believes, is that “the heart and soul of the man come through in his artistry and illuminate the issues.”

“As a director, I find this play to be very exciting,” says Saldivar, “because it challenges the actors to really be creative, to understand and synthesize” the issues of the play with the current situation and with the comedy.

We won’t pay! We won’t pay! will be performed Feb. 19-21, 25-28, and Mar. 1 in the Mitchell Theatre. All performances start at 7:30 p.m. There will be a talkback following the Feb. 26 performance.

Tickets,$11 for the general public and $8 for UW–Madison students, may be purchased in person or by phone, (608) 262-1500, from the Vilas Hall Box Office, open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and from 5:30 p.m. until curtain time on performance days.