The Devious Theatre Company are launching their Dario Fo Season with the maniacal murder mystery Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, arguably the Nobel Prize winning dramatist’s most famous play.

Written in 1970, Accidental Death Of An Anarchist was inspired by events that took place in Italy in 1969 when an anarchist, Giuseppe Pinelli fell – or was thrown – from the fourth floor window of a Milan police station. He had been accused of a campaign of bombing, of which he was later found innocent. The resultant scandal uncovered a system rife with corruption and intensified public rage at the government. Intensification of public rage is something that Dario Fo is a master of with his work challenging church, government and the authorities in Italy for over 50 years.

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist takes place as an enquiry into the anarchist’s death is causing the policemen involved to have some difficulties remembering the details of the event. That is, until a nameless deranged madman shows up and proceeds to tie the authorities around his fingers in a master class performance of utter logic. The cast includes Alan Butler, Sean Hackett, Simone Kelly, Ken McGuire, John Morton and David Thompson playing the famed role of the shape shifting Madman. The production is directed by John Morton, who previously co-directed Trainspotting for Devious Theatre.

As is usually the case with adaptations of Dario Fo, this production will look at the events of the play through the prism of modern Ireland and the corruption and scandals inherent in our own political systems. Employing the comedic methods of commedia dell’arte and slapstick as used by Dario Fo, Accidental Death Of An Anarchist is an uproariously funny farce which rallies against political injustice and corruption.

Above is the teaser poster for the production which pays homage to the late, great Saul Bass whose look and style have influenced our show. Over the next couple of weeks, we will continue to roll out further promotional materials and some surprises. Stay tuned to the site for further details.

This will be the first play to be staged in the Set Theatre, John Street and we at The Devious Theatre Company are proud to be the first group to utilise Kilkenny’s finest new venue. They will be returning in March of 2009 with the next part of their season Dario Fo’s Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist will run from Wednesday December 2nd to Sunday December 6th and tickets will soon be made available from the Set Theatre box office in Langtons and Rollercoaster Records in Kieran Street. For all details on the play and the full Dario Fo Season stay tuned this site.

We know, we're mad. We're in the throes of our Dario Fo season and up to our theatrical necks in rehearsals for Accidental Death of An Anarchist, but never ones to sit about or turn down the opportunity to put on a show, we've managed to squeeze another production in, this time for the October Bank Holiday weekend as part of the Rockfall Festival taking place in Kilkenny.

This time the show is Shakespeare In Bits which is described as ‘an irreverent sketch show of Shakespearean proportions’. The show is devised by and starring Stephen Colfer, John Doran and Eddie Murphy, three familiar faces from past Devious Theatre productions who last appeared in Stags and Hens back in July. The show consists of a variety of Shakespeare related sketches, set pieces and some very funny comedy. For any fans of the Bard it’ll have you in stitches. And for anyone who’s not a fan of Mr. Shakespeare, it’s a 50 minute comedic dissection of his work which is a million miles away from how it’s taught in schools.

Shakespeare In Bits was previously performed by Devious Theatre as part of the Shakespeare In The House festival which took place in Rothe House this past June. This is a new version of the production with some brand new sketches, scenes, cast members and musical interludes.

This marks the third year that Devious Theatre have participated in the Rockfall Festival and as before, proceeds raised from the show will go to the O’Neill Centre (Enable Ireland) based in Kilkenny. Tickets are 8 Euro and will be available shortly from Cleere’s Theatre on 056 – 7762573. The show opens on Friday October 23rd for three nights only. There will also be a matinee performance of the show on Sunday October 25th at 4pm. This performance will be at a reduced rate of 5 Euro.

The show is being taken on the road for one night only and will be staged at the Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin on Thursday November 5th. We'll have some more details on the Dublin outing for the show shortly and we'll be contacting our friends too to make sure your tickets will be available for the Bank Holiday weekend.

Keep an eye here on DeviousTheatre.com over the next fortnight as we'll be bringing you some updates on Shakespeare in Bits, some rehearsal photos and more in the build up to the opening night on Friday October 23rd. If you're not doing so already, keep up to pace with Twitter where we'll be providing some live updates and shots on show nights as well.

Frustrated with the government? Rising prices getting you down? Is the justice system failing you? Lost all faith in the Church?

Then our newest season of work might just be right up your disenfranchised alleyway. A season of comedic plays by Dario Fo will take place in Kilkenny’s newest theatre venue, the state of the art Set Theatre, John Street, Kilkenny between Winter 2009 and Spring 2010.

Dario Fo is Italy’s most famous living playwright, a Nobel Prize winner and joint 7th in The Telegraph’s list of 100 greatest living geniuses (with Stephen Hawking no less). His work has held a mirror up to the corruption, fascism and inequality of Italy’s national systems for over 50 years. His pen has repeatedly cut the throat of those very systems, earning him death threats, litigation and censorship throughout his career. Fo’s famous razor sharp wit has created a body of work that has challenged successive governments, the Catholic Church and the police forces. He has maintained that his work belongs to every citizen who is downtrodden by such oppressive systems. And so, with timely prescience, Devious Theatre are delighted to present two of Dario Fo’s most controversial, comedic, authority slaying works in the Set Theatre.

His best known play Accidental Death Of An Anarchist will open the season in the Set Theatre when it runs from Wednesday December 2nd to Sunday December 6th. In the aftermath of the apparent suicide of an anarchist from a fourth floor police window, the policemen involved are having difficulties remembering the details of the event. That is, until a nameless, deranged madman shows up and proceeds to tie the authorities around his fingers in a master class performance of utter logic.

Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! will continue the season when it opens in the Set Theatre in Spring 2010. Frustrated by rising supermarket prices, two working class women decide to rebel against the cost of living by taking goods without paying. However, hiding this from their husbands and the authorities chasing them might prove a little trickier than expected.

For all information on the production, please keep an eye on devioustheatre.com and for anyone interested in being involved, please contact info@devioustheatre.com