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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE ACTORS’ GANG THEATER BEGINS PERFORMANCES FOR ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF ANARCHIST THURSDAY, JANUARY 24TH (OPENING FEBRUARY 2nd)
Written by Dario Fo Directed by Will Thomas McFadden Art by Ralph Steadman
A Dario Fo and Ralph Steadman exhibition will accompany the run of Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Culver City, January 17th, 2019 – The Actors’ Gang will begin previews for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, written by Italian playwright and Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo, on Thursday, January 24th with a Pay What You Can first preview. Directed by Will Thomas McFadden, this wickedly funny satire will run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through March 9th. The press opening is Saturday, February 2nd.
In this piece of classic international theatre from 1970, Fo writes of a madman, who invades a police station interrogation room where an anarchist accused of bombing a railway station has recently “accidentally” fallen out of a window. Donning various disguises and voices, the madman manipulates policemen into a truth-inducing hysteria. This world-renowned farce is produced in honor of one of The Actors’ Gang inspirations and mentors, Dario Fo.
Famed artist Ralph Steadman, known for his iconic images a lifetime of illustration, magazine and other work, including his longtime collaboration with Hunter S. Thompson, has created a logo that helps to bring this production context. Also, a Dario Fo – Ralph Steadman exhibition will be on view throughout the run of Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
“When I first read Accidental Death of an Anarchist as a young theater student, it knocked me off my feet and inspired me to write for the theater. Dario’s wicked humor and courageous and uncompromising satire gave me great inspiration to create theater that was relevant, entertaining and dangerous in its uncompromising telling of truth to power” said artistic director Tim Robbins. “Many years later, to my absolute delight, I was honored that Dario became a friend, supporter and mentor to me, and The Actors’ Gang. This play is a touchstone for our theatre: its fame as one of the great comedies of modern theater is well earned and I am not alone in viewing it as a masterpiece that maintains its relevancy and importance today”.
The cast includes Bob Turton, Ethan Corn, Adam Jefferis, Lynde Houck, Julia Finch, James Bane, Tom Szymanski - Officer Dudak and Guebri VanOver.
The Ralph Steadman—Dario Fo exhibit will be open to the theater patrons prior to the performance on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays starting 7 pm and Sundays, February 17th, 24th and March 3rd, starting 1 pm, January 24th through March 9th.
Tickets for Accidental Death of an Anarchist are available by calling 310-838-4264 or online at www.TheActorsGang.com. Tickets range from $25 - $50 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Actors’ Gang Theatre is located at The Ivy Substation at 9070 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA, 90232.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist is the third production of The Actors’ Gang 2018/19 Season, following the critically acclaimed Johnny Got His Gun, directed by Tim Robbins. The 2018/19 Season began on October 6th, with Johnny Got His Gun, and will conclude on June 22nd, 2019, with The Misadventures of Spike Spangle, Farmer (Formerly Violence), written by Adam Simon and Tim Robbins and directed by Bob Turton.
Other plays include One Act Festival / The Classic – No Exit, by Jean-Paul Sartre and Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett, One Act Festival / The Original – Tradition by James Edward Bane and A Perfect World by Lynde Houck and Free Shakespeare in the Park, adapted and directed by Cynthia Ettinger, the company’s co-artistic director. The season will conclude with The Misadventure of Spike Spangle, Farmer by Tim Robbins and Adam Simon. The Accidental Death of an Anarchist poster features original artwork by Ralph Steadman, a long-time supporter of The Actors’ Gang.
Dario Fo (Playwright, Actor, Director)
Dario Fo (1926 – 2016) was an Italian satirist, actor, playwright, comedian, singer, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, painter and recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. Fo was one of the most widely performed contemporary playwrights in world theatre. Much of his dramatic work depends on improvisation and the revival of old theatrical form, such as the traditions of the giullari – the jester-cum- minstrels of the middle ages who improvised their comedy, jibing at the establishment of the times, and, more famously, the ancient Italian style of commedia dell’arte, a theatrical style popular with the working classes.
Fo's works are characterized by criticisms of organised crime, political corruption, political murders, Catholic Church doctrine and have employed topics from current news, such as the rise of the Italian workers' movement, revolt in Chile, and the Palestinian situation, and they often included a discussion between actors and audience. As a bridge between popular culture and radical intellectuals, Fo's collective theater occupies a central place in contemporary Italian culture. Fo wrote more than 80 plays, coauthoring some of them with Rame. Among his most popular plays are Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1970) and We Can’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! (1974). As a performer, Fo is best known for his solo tour de force Mistero Buffo (1973), based on medieval mystery plays but so topical that the shows changed with each audience.
His plays have been translated into 30 languages and performed across the world, and when performed outside Italy, they are often modified to reflect local political and other issues. Fo encouraged directors and translators to modify his plays as they see fit, as he found this in accordance to the commedia dell'arte tradition of on-stage improvisation. Dario Fo owned and operated a theatre company with his wife, Franca Rame. Fo and Rame have dealt with women's issues in several plays, and together they have established a worldwide reputation for their biting satire in their writing and performances. Corruption in the Catholic Church and the Italian government, police brutality, abuses in the prison system, violations of human rights, the Mafia, rape, the denial of Italian women's access to divorce and abortion: Fo and Rame have made these dangerous political issues the subject matter of their theater. Drawing on traditions ranging from the commedia dell'arte to puppetry, clowning, and storytelling, they have subjected every institution, political party, power broker, corrupt organization, and controversial law in Italy to their formidable satirical powers. Over the years, they have been censored, banned, rebuked, denied visas—and played to packed houses all over the world. Upon awarding him the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature, the committee highlighted Fo as a writer "who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden". Will Thomas McFadden (Director, Actor)
McFadden has been a company member and director with The Actors' Gang for nearly 8 years now. Most recently, Will played the title character and directed the original musical Captain Greedy's Carnival. He also co-created/directed The Queen Family Very Special Holiday Special, Much Ado About Avengers, Mighty Morphin Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as the short play A Perfect World from Angels, Devils and Other Things. As a theater actor, his credits include, Harlequino: On To Freedom, Midsummer Night's Dream, 1984 and Harry Potter Hamlet. Outside of the theater, you may have seen Will in the 1992 straight to home video classic Only You, on HBO's The Brink, or in one of his many YouTube videos which have tallied more than 60 million views.
Tim Robbins (Artistic Director, The Actors’ Gang)
For the past 37 years, Tim Robbins has served as Artistic Director for The Actors’ Gang, a theater company formed in 1982 that has over 150 productions and more than 100 awards to their credit. Past productions with The Actors’ Gang include: As Writer/Director – The New Colossus (2017-18), Harlequino On to Freedom (2017), Break the Whip (2010-11), Embedded (2003-4), Mayhem, the Invasion (1992), Carnage, A Comedy (1988-89), Violence, The Misadventures of Spike Spangle, Farmer (1987) and Alagazam (1986). As Director –A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2012-16), Orwells’ 1984 (2006-16), Mephisto (2001), The Good Woman of Setzuan (1991), Methusalem, the Eternal Bourgeois (1985), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1984), Ubu the King (1982); In addition to producing live theater throughout the year, The Actors’ Gang provides arts education to thousands of Elementary, Middle and High School students working in 12 LA USD schools and in underserved communities in the L.A. area. Since 2006, The Actors’ Gang’s groundbreaking Prison Project provides theatrical workshops to incarcerated men and women in 12 California prisons.
As Actor, his credits include Here and Now, Marjorie Prime, The Brink, Mystic River, The Shawshank Redemption, The Player, Bull Durham and Jacob’s Ladder. As a writer/director Dead Man Walking, The Cradle Will Rock, and Bob Roberts. Robbins has won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG Award, the Prix d'Interprétation Masculine at the Cannes Film Festival and the Officier de L’Ordre des Arts des Lettres from the Republic of France.
About The Actors’ Gang
The Actors’ Gang was founded in 1981 by a group of young actors looking to build a theater that would present relevant and vibrantly entertaining plays. Over the past 38 years, The Actors' Gang has performed for audiences in Los Angeles and throughout the world, on five continents and in 40 U.S. States. Our groundbreaking Prison Project is currently in twelve California prisons, serving incarcerated women, men and children with rehabilitation programs that significantly reduce the recidivism rate. Each year, thousands of children in Los Angeles public schools discover confidence and creativity with our Education Department through in-school immersion and after-school programs and by participating in classes that encourage acceptance, respect and team building in a fun and impactful way.
The theater company has presented the work of innovative theater artists including Georges Bigot, Simon Abkarian, Charles Mee, David Schweizer, Bill Rauch and the Cornerstone Theatre Company, Tracy Young, Roger Guenver Smith, Eric Bogosian, Oskar Eustis, Danny Hoch, Beth Milles, Brian Kulick, Stefan Haves, Namaste Theater Company, Culture Clash, Jason Reed, Michael Schlitt and Tenacious D.
The Actors’ Gang ensemble has included accomplished actors such as Jack Black, Lee Arenberg, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Brent Hinkley, Helen Hunt, Kate Walsh, Kyle Gass, Fisher Stevens, Ned Bellamy, Jeremy Piven, Ebbe Roe Smith, Kate Mulligan, and Tim Robbins. The theater company has presented the work of innovative theater artists including Georges Bigot, Simon Abkarian, Charles Mee, Culture Clash, Bill Rauch and The Cornerstone Theatre Company, Tracy Young, Namaste Theater Company, Roger Guenver Smith, Eric Bogosian, Oskar Eustis, Danny Hoch, Beth Milles, David Schweizer, Brian Kulick, Stefan Haves, Jason Reed, Michael Schlitt and Tenacious D.
Guest artists that have appeared on The Actors’ Gang stage include: Jackson Browne, Sarah Silverman, Ben Gibbard, John Doe, Tom Morello, Jenny Lewis, Wayne Kramer, Paul Provenza, Zooey Deschanel, Serj Tankian, David Crosby, Pink, Felicity Huffman, Jill Sobule, William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall, Jeanne Tripplehorn, T.C. Boyle. and the late, beloved, Gore Vidal.
Recent touring productions include The New Colossus, Harlequino: On to Freedom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Orwell’s 1984, The Exonerated, Tartuffe, Embedded, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine and The Guys. Over the last thirty years The Actors’ Gang has toured the U.S. in forty-five states and on five continents, performing across the world from London to Milan, Bucharest, Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, Bogota, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Buenos Aires and recently, to Santiago and Concepcion, in Chile.
CALENDAR LISTING: ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST
WHO Written by Dario Fo Directed by Tim Robbins
WHEN Thursday, January 24th - Saturday, March 9th, 2019
PREVIEWS Thursday, January 24th - Friday, February 1st, 2018
PERFORMANCES Opening Night – Saturday, February 2nd at 8:00 pm
EVENINGS Thursdays at 8:00 pm Fridays at 8:00 pm Saturdays at 8:00 pm
MATINEES Sundays, February 17th, 24th and March 3rd at 2:00 pm
TICKETS Tickets: $34.99 Seniors: $30 Under 30 and full-time students: $25 Thursday Evenings - "Pay What You Can" Tickets are available online at www.TheActorsGang.com or by phone at 310-838-4264 Opening Night and Closing Night Tickets range from $34.99 to $50
WHERE: The Actors’ Gang Theatre | 9070 Venice Blvd | Culver City, CA 90232