SOURCE: "Dario Fo Explains: An Interview" by Luigi Ballerini and Giuseppi Risso, in The Drama Review, Vol. 22, No. 1, March 1978, pp. 34-48.

In the following, Fo discusses influences on his work in the theater.

At the Rai Studios in Milan, Dario Fo is just finishing the editing of a series of shows to be aired in the Spring of 1978. We are at a delicate moment in the comedy La signora e da buttare (The Lady Has To Be Thrown Away), a satire of bourgeois imperialism. At this moment, parts of the dialog are being "reinforced." Dario's finger is pointed at the technician: "Here!" At his command, applause and laughter mingle artfully with the murmur of the audience.

The monitors reflect several sequences of Dario Fo's mocking face. He is a man of 50—actor, singer, dancer, mime, writer, impresario, choreographer, political activist, and a personality both feared and opposed, like...