The Fate Play
a proposal for an improvised act
SMORFIA
The Smorfia is an italian prediction system of lottery numbers. Each number is associated with a symbol and vice
versa.
It is believed that the Smorfia comes from the Jewish cabalistic tradition. According to the Kabbalah the world is
merely a set of symbols to decode.This is why the Kabbalists created a kind of interpretive doctrine to reveal the
hidden meanings behind the apparent reality.
The origin of the term is uncertain, but the most common explanation is that it is linked to the name of Morpheus,
the god of dreams in ancient Greece.
It was originally passed down orally, then transcribed on paper.Given the popular origin of it, there are few editions
using the figures next to the numbers for the illiterate. The Fate Play is an improvised act created collaboratively
between the players and the Smorfia lottery system.
The traditional numbers and meanings are 90. For the play the numbers will be divided in three categories:
the characters, the tools and the conditions.
30 Characters
32 Props
2 The Little Girl
6 The one who looks down
71 The Shit Man
8 Mother Mary
12 The soldier
13 Saint Anthony
14 The Drunkard
15 The Guy
22 The Madman
23 The Idiot
26 Little Ann
29 The Children’s Father
31 The Landlord
48 The Talking Dead Man
52 The Mother
37 The Monk
53 The Old Man
57 The Hunchback
61 The Hunter
63 The Bride
75 Mr. Punch
78 Good Looking Girl
79 The Thief
85 The Purgatory Soul
89 The Old Lady
21The Naked Woman
43 The Woman At The Balcony
9 Sons and Daughters
24 The Guards
3 The Cat
4 The Pig
32 The Eel
5 The Hand
7 The clay vase
80 The Mouth
10 The Beans
11 The Mices
16 The Ass
34 The Head
35 The Bird
55 Music
46 Money
27 The Chamber Pot
28 Tits
58 The Present
41 The Knife
36 The Castanets
42 Coffee
68 Cooked Soup
45 The Good Wine
49 Meat
50 Bread
54 The Hat
59 Hair
64 The Tailcoat
76 The Fountain
77 The Devils (Or Female Legs)
81 Flowers
66 Two Spinsters
82 The Prepared Table
88 I caciocavalli (Italian Cheese)
87 Lices
28 Conditions
1 Italy
7 The Disgrace
25 Christmas
20 The Party
19 The Laughter
18 The Blood
33 Jesus’ years
40 Boredom
51 The Garden
38 Beating
39 The Noose Around The Neck
83 Bad Weather
56 The Fall
84 The Church
44 The Prison
47 The Dead Man
86 The Shop
60 The Lament
62 The Killed Man
65 Crying
67 The Squid in The Guitar
72 Surprise
90 Fear
73 The Hospital
74 The Cave
70 The Palace
30 Lieutenant’s Balls
69 Upsidedown
It can be played by one up to 11 players
Here’s an example:
With three players. For each one of them 5 numbers will be extracted
one spinner will determine
the character
the second spinner determines
two props
the third spinner determines
two conditions
First player
Character= Number 6: The one who look down
Prop1= Number 41: Knife
Prop2= Number 7: Caly vase
Condition1= Number 17: Disgrace
Condition2= Number 1: Laughter
Second player
Character= Number 25: The idiot
Prop1= Number 58: Present
Prop2= Number 81: Flowers
Condition1= Number 20: Party
Condition2= Number 90: Fear
Third player
Character= Number 63: The bride
Prop1= Number 59: Hair
Prop2= Number 16: Ass
Condition1= Number 86: Shop
Condition2= Number 73: Hospital
In this improvised act 15 numbers will be involved, and it will last a minimum of 15 minutes.
There is a person that always looks down, an idiot and a bride.
An ass, a knife, a present, a clay vase, flowers and hair
A party, a shop, a hospital, a disgrace, laughter and fear