Throughout the 1980s, Dario Fo, Italy's best known and most provocative satirical playwright, and his wife Franca Rame, conducted a series of performance-seminars around the world on the subject of acting. This book traces the life of the comic performer back to the itinerant jongleur and the skillful improvisations of commedia dell'arte troupes.

For over thrity years Dario Fo, oftern in collaboration with his wife Franca Rame, has led the field in political satire in Europe. Outside Italy, Fo's comedies are often adapted to reflect local political conditions, but the essence remains the same. Capitalism, imperialism and corruption within government are typical targets for hilarious, ideologically-inspired attacks on the establishment. Drawing on all forms of popular theatre, Fo's international reputation as an actor, mime and director equals that of his writing. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997.