Low Pay, Don't Pay
Written by Dario Fo. Directed by Larry Waller.
November/December 2026 production.
An uproarious new version of Dario Fo's frenetic farce Can't Pay? Won't Pay! which, although set in Italy, has an all too familiar ring to it. Housewives Antonia and Margherita, fed up with high prices in the supermarket, take matters into their own hands and start shoplifting. Keen to keep their light-fingered antics from their husbands, Giovanni and Luigi - not to mention the police - the women are forced to resort to more and more inventive hiding places, and more and more elaborate cover stories, in this legendary comedy.
This production reimagines Dario Fo’s Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! as a fast, funny, political, community-driven piece of popular theatre that speaks directly to a 2026 Australian audience experiencing the pressures of rising costs, economic strain, and social inequity. While the play is set in Italy, our version is modern South Australia, and although comic and chaotic, it remains anchored in real human struggle. The humour emerges from truthful desperation, not caricature.
This is a show about people trying to survive — and laughing in order not to cry.
Director's Note
Low Pay, Don’t Pay is a bold, joyful, and sharply political ensemble comedy that places actors, audience, and action in constant relationship. This production celebrates the play’s greatest strengths: its relentless physicality, rapid-fire farce, and deeply human heart. Through heightened comedy and collective storytelling, the play exposes injustice not with heaviness, but with laughter, agility, and rebellion. Performed in the round, this show places you in the middle of the action, dialogue and comedy. Book tickets for an evening (or afternoon) of immersive-ness ness to be entertained by these two fabulous casts of performers. Book now via Trybooking!
Performance dates:
Saturday November 28, 3:00 and 7:30
Sunday November 29, 3:00 and 7:30
Saturday December 5, 3:00 and 7:30
Sunday December 6, 3:00 and 7:30
Venue:
Hawthorn Community Centre
CAST LIST
YELLOW CAST
Antonia - Annabel Whitford
Maggie - Erin McAllister
Giovanni (Gio) - Ryan Erlandsen
Louie - LA Foale
Ensemble Sergeant - Susan Cilento
Inspector - Laura Tregloan
Undertaker (Chorus) - Ashleigh Merriel
Old Man (Chorus) - Doran Moppert
(Chorus) - Amethyst Mae
Ensemble Leads - Cathy “Di Great” Sheargold
ORANGE CAST
Antonia - Annabel Whitford
Maggie - Olivia Jane Parker
Giovanni (Gio) - Simon Lancione
Louie - LA Foale
Ensemble Sergeant - Susan Cilento
Inspector - Mariusz Klochowicz
Undertaker (Chorus) - Leighara Lawson
Old Man (Chorus) - Wojtek Stec
(Chorus) - Amethyst Mae
Ensemble Lead - Corinna Di Niro
PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES PER CAST
3pm Saturday 28th Nov 2026 - (Orange Cast) with Erin McAllister performing the role of Maggie.
7.30pm Saturday 28th Nov 2026 - (Yellow Cast) with Erin McAllister performing the role of Maggie .
3pm Sunday 29th Nov 2026 - (Yellow Cast) with Erin McAllister performing the role of Maggie.
7.30pm Sunday 29th Nov 2026 - (Orange Cast) with Erin McAllister performing the role of Maggie.
3pm Saturday 5th Dec 2026 - (Orange Cast) with Olivia Jane Parker performing the role of Maggie.
7.30pm Saturday 5th Dec 2026 - (Yellow Cast) with Olivia Jane Parker performing the role of Maggie.
3pm Sunday 6th Dec 2026 - (Yellow Cast) with Olivia Jane Parker performing the role of Maggie.
7.30pm Sunday 6th Dec 2026 (Orange Cast) - with Olivia Jane Parker performing the role of Maggie.
* Please note, there will also be two special performances at Adelaide's Italian Festival. Find out more here.
🎧 LISTEN 🎧: This episode of For the Love of Theatre Podcast is hosted by Sophie Waller, featuring interviews with:
- Director, Larry Waller
- Ensemble Lead and Commedia dell'Arte Expert, DR. Corinna Di Niro
- and Cast members Ryan Erlandsen (Giovanni, Yellow Cast) & Simon Lancione (Giovanni, Orange Cast) from Blackwood Players Inc.
To find out more, contact Larry via larrywaller1@icloud.com or 0401 530 628