Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Edwards Auditorium, Auditorium
64 Upper College Rd, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
Written by 1997 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Dario Fo, this is a one-man show performed in English by Mario Priovano. It is without props, without scenery and with the simplest of costume where the bond between the audience and the performer.
“Francis the Holy Jester” is a narrative about the life of the Saint of Assisi, which uses episodes from his life which are often unknown or overlooked. The stories are drawn from authentic texts and from ancient folk tales of the Umbrian countryside.
Rossellini, the master of neo-realism, entitled his wonderful film “Francis, God’s Jester”. In the research done on St Francis, Dario Fo discovered that Francis had called himself a jester declaring right from the start “I am God’s jester." At the beginning of the 13th century the jesters were much loved by the humble people, but hated and persecuted by the powerful. But Francis didn’t take the label of jester just to be provocative: he really was a jester. He knew all the tricks of the trade, all the techniques and skills.
It is this “Jester”, humble and passionate, that we can see in the show. In its four episodes a whole range of characters from 13th Century Italy are brought to life before us: Popes and Cardinals, Dukes and Duchesses, soldiers on the battle field, traders in the marketplace and St. Francis himself.
This is an entirely unique and living pièce of theatre that interrogates and celebrate our humanity and has the power to reach all of us, theatre-lover or not, educated or non-educated, Christian or non-Christian, and anyone who enjoys a good story lovingly crafted and told with insight, vivacity and humor.
Free and open to the public.
Michelangelo La Luna
401 783-4896
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