I sat down with director Jow Cleave of the EUTC’s production of Dario Fo’s 1970 play Accidental Death of an Anarchist, to hear all about the creative process, and why this play is still just as relevant to audiences today.
Fabienne: What drew you to direct Accidental Death of an Anarchist?
Jow: It’s my favourite play. It’s been my favourite play for years and years. I was always planning to at some point put this on. It’s about corruption, police brutality, the right to protest, the need for societal change — and right now seemed like a good time to be doing something with that message.
Fabienne: What’s the play about from your point of view?
Jow: An Italian train driver is thrown out of the fourth-floor window of the police station. His death is covered up and it’s a big scandal — none of the police ever face consequences for it. The play is about this individual incident on the surface, but really it’s about corruption as a whole — not just in the police, but state corruption. It’s about the importance of having your own political voice, and it’s a call to action for the audience.
Fabienne: What did you decide to change about how it was originally staged?
Jow: It was originally written in 1970, and it’s been updated many times since. The version we’re using was adapted in 2023 by Tom Basden. It’s a really good version. It’s very up to date and, actually, it’s quite upsetting how incredibly up to date is — so little has changed. But the main thing I’m changing is the atmosphere of the show. The staging of the 2023 version was very naturalistic. The set looked like a real office whereas our sets are quite a lot more abstract. It will feel like a liminal space: a little bit unsettling — all these harsh white lights for the interrogation room. And then to counteract that weirdness, the acting is going to be very silly and, yeah, very over the top.
Fabienne: What character do you think will have the most impact on the audience?
Jow: Without a doubt, [it’s] the Maniac. He’s on stage almost the entire show. He’s the only character who knows the audience is there and he speaks to them directly at some points.
Fabienne: What are some of the main creative decisions you made?
Jow: I’ve really tried to play into the themes of contrast – between how the police describe themselves and how they actually act; the violence and the comedy; the serious political messages and how silly everything in the show is; how endearing the police are at some points; and how genuinely horrible they’ve been to everyone. It’s also a very nice way to get an audience to think about what’s going on.
Fabienne: What were you looking for during casting?
Jow: It was a mix of things – different characters need different elements in them – but mostly it’s your stage presence, your comedic timing, and your ability to take redirection. During the auditions, I’d have them do a piece and then halfway through I’d stop them, give them redirection, and see how much they took that stuff on. That was a big thing. In the call-backs I saw how they worked with each other because – in a show that’s so fast paced – you need to be able to interact with the rest of the cast really well.
Fabienne: If you could perform in the play yourself, which role would you most like to play?
Jow: I’d love to play the Maniac. I don’t want to be a bit of a diva — but the main part is always fun. [He’s] such a high energy character – definitely the most exhausting character and the most difficult character to prepare for […] but so much fun. You get to break the fourth wall, and you get to talk about all the politics, which is all of the stuff I love in a play.
Fabienne: Why do you think this play continues to be performed decades after it was written?
Jow: To quote the play: “Because it keeps bloody happening.” Yes, [this incident in the play] happened years and years ago, but there keep being incidents like that. There keep being horrible police scandals, and the police force doesn’t reform. And until that stops happening, this play is going to keep being important. It’s not just decrying the state for allowing this corruption to exist — it’s also pointing at the audience, saying: “What are you going to do about it?”
Photo by Adryan Schwartz