A smash-hit at the Sydney Opera House in 2020 No Pay? No Way!, directed by Joint Artistic Director Bryony Shanahan has its UK Premiere here at the Royal Exchange this spring.
Marieke Hardy’s brand-new version of Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s original 1974 farce is a contemporary and urgent exploration of our global economic reality. This ferocious political comedy places two heroic women, Antonia and Margherita, front and centre. They are the linchpins on which this hilariously dark comedy twists and turns and ultimately shines a light on some of the UK’s most urgent issues, exposing the reality of rising inflation and falling wages.
Antonia nips out for a few bits for tea, but when she and the other women find out prices in the local supermarket have doubled, a rebellion is born! In an involuntary riot the women storm the shop, grabbing, shoving and filling their trollies – like supermarket sweep on steroids. Sharply focused and wonderfully, relentlessly, bone-achingly funny NO PAY? NO WAY! is at the Royal Exchange Theatre from 12 May – 10 June.
Marieke Hardy began life as a child actor and has since forged a successful career as a screenwriter, playwright, producer, artist, theatre maker and media presenter. She was the Artistic Director of the Melbourne Writers Festival for both the ground-breaking 2018 and 2019 programs. She is the head writer and showrunner on Jungle’s adaptation of Robbie Arnott’s novel, Flames and also recently wrote an episode of Netflix’s hugely popular Heartbreak Highreboot and is currently writing on season 2.
Marieke is writing on an original series for Jungle and Stan, as well as upcoming Lingo Pictures series Erotic Storieshe is also writing a series for Sony Pictures Television based on the book Down The Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison.
NO PAY? NO WAY! – Listings Information
A Royal Exchange Theatre production
NO PAY? NO WAY!
By Dario Fo and Franca Rame
In a new version by Marieke Hardy
Directed by Bryony Shanahan
12 May – 10 June
