What happens when a burglar gets caught red-handed – not by the police, but by the owner sneaking home with his mistress?

Chaos, sharp satire, and an avalanche of frantic cover-ups.

Enjoy an evening of live performance from University of Melbourne's talented Italian 6 students at Shepparton Art Museum as they bring Nobel laureate Dario Fo’s brilliant one-act farce, Non tutti i ladri vengono per nuocere (The Virtuous Burglar), to the stage.

When an ordinary break-in spirals into an absurd domino effect of jealous spouses, mistress-swapping, and increasingly ridiculous lies, the poor burglar finds himself working overtime just to keep everyone else’s secrets safe.

Designed for every ear: a truly accessible farce

Worried your Italian might be a little rusty… or brand new? Don’t let that hold you back. The production has been specifically staged with deliberate linguistic scaffolding to ensure the comedy translates across every level of fluency:

• Expressive physicality & commedia roots: The ensemble pairs Fo’s razor-sharp dialogue with exaggerated gesture, physical comedy and dynamic blocking, ensuring visual context carries meaning effortlessly from scene to scene.

• Articulatory precision & vocal pacing: Students have worked intensively on rhythm, stress, and clarity of delivery so that punchlines, subtext, and irony resonate clearly across the room.

• Scaffolded scene framing: Brief thematic introductions and clear scene guides will accompany the performance, anchoring the plot and key idioms so you can sit back, follow every twist, and enjoy the ride.

Whether you are a fluent speaker, a language student looking to tune your ear, or simply curious to experience live Italian theatre, this performance promises an evening of laughter, energy, and linguistic flair.

Event details

Date + time: Thursday 29 October, 6PM-7PM

Location: Level 4, Shepparton Art Museum, 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton

Price: Free

This play is suitable for audiences aged 16+ years.

Contact the host of UniMelb Italian 6 Students Present: Non tutti i ladri vengono per nuocere (The Virtuous Burglar)

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