"Accidental Death of an Anarchist" by Dario Fo (30 Sep - 3 Oct 2026)

Poster

Whether you’re avoiding your neighbour, an avid programme reader, or simply waiting for the show to begin, welcome!

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Rebecca and I directed the play! This is my directorial debut, so it feels particularly special to be writing this note.

I first saw Accidental Death of an Anarchist during my undergraduate degree and thought it was absolutely genius. Funny, absurd and political, exactly the kind of comedy I love. I was completely blown away and knew that, if I ever got the chance to direct, it would inevitably be this play.

Although the original events took place in 1969, its themes of corruption, lies, cover-ups and the abuse of authority feel anything but historical. We’ve brought the play into the present day and moved it to Northern England, but the questions remain the same: who gets believed, who gets protected, and what happens when those responsible for upholding the truth are the ones obscuring it?

Beyond the politics, I hope the play encourages you to get involved with a hobby or interest of your own. Meet new people, share stories, take care of each other. Hey, you never know… you could end up exhausted and writing words for a programme at 10pm on a Tuesday evening!!

A huge thank you to the cast and crew for being just the best EVER EVER, and to you for coming! We really appreciate it!

​Alright, cheers, besties. See you at the bar! x

What they said
"Well, what a great evening!! This is such a tough play to pull off as it needs to be very fast paced, full-on farce but kept under sufficient control that the political message can get through.  I knew with SMP it would be in good  and safe hands and we were not disappointed! We had such a wonderful evening and loved this production of Dario Fo’s iconic play! Very many thanks to all involved in putting this on!" Cherry R

"Amazing, spellbinding opening night - echo all these  comments above- huge congratulations to every single person and aspect ! I and companions around me exhausted from laughing, gasping, goggling! Fantastic characterisation, set, pace, the accents… The Hand …!!!👏🌟👏🌟👏" Sue S

"Wow you all smashed it it was brilliant I loved it, just clever and very funny! I echo everything Teena said so eloquently!! Huge well done Beccy on an excellent directorial debut. Big congratulations to everyone - the acting, tech costumes & backstage crew were top notch. Fabulous set & props, shout out to everyone involved 👏👏👏. Enjoy the rest of the run xxx." Cressida S

"Huge congratulations to the whole team on a brilliant, hilarious opening night! The energy and comedic timing were fantastic! It was a wonderful, funny performance - you should all be incredibly proud! Here’s to a fantastic rest of the run, enjoy! 👏 🤩" Teena H

"What a fantastic opening night! Very comedic and Paul is the perfect Maniac! Congratulations to you all👏" Susan J

"Well done the crazy bunch… absolutely bonkers, lots of fun. Great set and props… that hand was hilarious. Enjoy the run xxxx" Ann F

 "Brilliant play, great directing, superb acting from all cast, slick stage management, sound & lighting!  Loved the maniac's Scottish accent!" Iain T

"Was great! Well done to all. X" Imogen M

"A fabulously entertaining evening! 👏Congratulations cast, crew and director.  💕x" Alice K

"What a hoot! Loved it! Well done to all involved. @​aul Smith you’re going to be exhausted Sunday 😂" Sarah B

"Great performances by all - incredible energy, perfect comedic timing and basically loads of fun 🤩.  And it was so lovely to see my St Michael's Players friends again.  xxx" Tessa D

"Brilliant first night - so many stars on and off stage 💥💥" Ken B

"Great opening night folks. Enjoyed the play. Well done to everyone involved!" Utku E

"Many thanks to you and the rest of the cast for a brilliant performance tonight. You were splendid! My family and I really enjoyed the play and it worked well adapted to modern day England, though maybe, to be really provocative for today, the 'extremists' should have been right-wing? I was wondering about Paul Smith - is that his real name or is he really David Baddiel in disguise? He was amazing -  you and all the cast were too!" Catherine X

"Accidental Death of an Anarchist was frivolous, funny well produced, directed and perfectly cast.  This was the first performance we have seen at St.Michael's Players and we were not disappointed, it exceeded our expectations on every level. We hope to see many more in the future! " David L

Photos

Radio Interview
On 9 Sept, Beccy and Paul headed to Riverview Radio to spread the word. Here's the programme. LINK

Programme
2609_anarchist_prog.pdf
File Size: 477 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Cast

Inspector Barnes (David Burles)
Maniac (Paul Smith)
Constable (Chris Jones)
Inspector Perkins (Chris Hulatt)
Superintendent (Elizabeth Ollier)
Maria Felleti (Arabella Harcourt-Cooze)

Crew

Director (Rebecca Lee)
Stage Managers (Christine Lee, Ella Rae Ryan)
Lighting (Andy Rooney)
Sound  (Jo Harry, Gareth Sammer)
Set Design (Alastair Dewar)
Set Build (Alastair Dewar, Chris Hulatt, Cast, Crew and Members)
Props  (Susan Johnson)
Costumes  (Imogen Measday and the cast)
Publicity  (Guy Fairbank)
Front of House (Members & Friends of St Michael's Players)