Una donna tutta sola

Una donna tutta sola ("a woman all alone") is a one-woman piece by Franca Rame (1929-2013)[1] and Dario Fo (1926-2016)[2].

The original text

A one-woman piece about how a housewife, a prisoner in her own home, a prisoner in her own life, finds liberation through a journey of fear, farce and fumblings.

Part of a series of five monologues entitled Tutta casa, letto e Chiesa (lit. "All House, Bed and Church"), written in 1977. The five pieces are: Il risveglio (Waking Up), Una donna tutta sola (A Woman Alone), La mamma fricchettona (Freak Mother), The Same Old Story and Medea

First created and produced in Italian in 1977.

Translations and adaptations

The English version, entitled A Woman Alone, formed part of a trilogy collectively titled One Woman Plays, consisting of A Woman Alone, Waking Up and The Same Old Story. The trilogy was performed at the National Theatre, London, on 26 June 1981 in a production directed by Michael Bogdanov and featuring Yvonne Bryceland.

Performance history in South Africa

1982: An English production of the play was performed in South Africa as part of One Woman Plays by Volute Productions in association with the People's Space and starring Yvonne Bryceland. It played at the People's Space, Cape Town, from 31 August to 18 September 1982, at the University Great Hall, Johannesburg from 28 September to 9 October 1982 and at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, Durban from 14 to 23 October 1982.

2011: A new English version of this play, set in South Africa in the late 1990s, was produced by Play.House.Productions, starring Jess Harrison, directed by Candace Gawler at the Intimate Theatre in Cape Town from 5 - 17 March 2011.

2012: Performed at the Drama Department of Rhodes University as part of the Young Director’s Season '12, once more directed by Candace Gawler