Foolish Sanity

Brandeis Theatre Department
Directed by Emily Pollock
May 2021

Roles: The Foolish Authorities
(Lear (King Lear), Estragon, Pozzo (Waiting for Godot), Olivia (Twelfth Night), Silvio (Servant of Two Masters))

The archetype of ‘The Fool’ represents a necessary function of theatre—to tell the truth—though they are only permitted to do so due to being perceived as ‘mad’, ‘simple’, or even simply ‘foolish’. The Fool’s perceived mental illness both allows them the freedom to tell an often blunt and impertinent truth to authority figures, and at the same time prevents them from being taken seriously. Foolish Sanity is a theatrical film piece that combines scenes and monologues from various classical and modern plays into the format of a comedy sketch show, examining the Fool’s relationship to authority, mental illness and disability, and the truth, while exploring how this archetype has evolved over theatrical history.