Two Plays: Voiceless People, Addolorata

An Italian immigrant who arrived in Canada in 1958, Marco Micone writes bold plays that explore ethnic identity and define immigrant life in Canada. His first play, Voiceless People, portrays the exploitation of first-generation Italian immigrants, while Addolorata focuses more deeply on the role of authority in father/daughter and husband/wife relationships in the second generation. Through the theatrical device of a Brechtian narrator, the audience sees the expectations for material gain that are held so firmly within the Italian community tragically upset by low pay for hard labor. The presentation of Micone’s work in English offers important lessons about a struggling community of immigrants.