An Accidental Murder?

Part of
The Italian American Playwrights Series

In collaboration with
KIT – Kairos Italy Theater
Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies

Reading
An Accidental Murder?
The hardships and prejudice of the Italian American experience,
and how it can erupt into violence

Written by
Diana M. Grillo

Directed by
Laura Caparrotti

In ENGLISH

An Accidental Murder? is set in a small suburban town in New York. The year is 1965, the day is March 7th, or more importantly, remembered as “Bloody Sunday.” While watching the movie Judgement at Nuremberg, Margie is reminded of the horrors of prejudice and hatred during the holocaust. Then the movie is abruptly interrupted to show the visual images of peaceful marchers struggling to fight for dignity and equality while being met by government-sanctioned violence. Soon after, the violence is intertwined in the everyday life of Mrs. Costa, living with an abusive Italian husband, tormented by the prejudice he has had to endure. Margie becomes a witness to the violent abuse of Mrs. Costa. An Accidental Murder? Unmasks the hidden epidemic of domestic abuse and how, at that time, our lack of laws to protect the abused became societal-sanctioned cruelty. Domestic abuse causes lingering damage, not only to the direct victim but to all the others in that person’s life who love them and try to protect them, for they are the victims too. By the end of the play, Margie has a moral dilemma to solve.

Diana M. Grillo – A Firebird-Award Winning Author
Diana M. Grillo is an award-winning short story author and playwright. She grew up in a struggling Italian immigrant family while living in a wealthy suburb of Westchester County, New York. The neighborhood’s substantial wealth and social status starkly contrasted with her family’s, making Diana feel like she never quite belonged. She became a mother at a very young age and worked her way through college while raising a son and a daughter. Her short story collection, An Accidental Murder and Other Stories, winner of the 2021 Firebird Book Award, is available on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. In addition, Diana’s speak-up talk radio interview can be found on her website, shortstoriesbydiana.com, and in the speakuptalkradio.com authors series. Diana has adapted her short story “An Accidental Murder” into a stage play. Diana has had two full-length First Look play readings on stage at The Theatre Artist Studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has also written four ten-minute plays. Her 10-minute play, “The Package,” was performed at last year’s Studio’s Summer Shorts. Diana is a member of the Arizona Authors’ Association, an Artistic member of the Theatre Artists Studio, Scottsdale, AZ, and a member of the Dramatist Guild. The sharp socio-economic contrasts of her youth growing up with her Italian immigrant father, and her tenacious journey into adulthood, have inspired much of her work. Her realistic grasp of family struggles is worth celebrating. After graduating with a B.S., Diana worked as a paralegal and social worker. Now retired, she lives in Cave Creek, Arizona, with her husband, where she continues to write short stories and stage plays. Diana is a member of the Arizona Authors’ Association, an Artistic member of the Theatre Artists Studio, Scottsdale, AZ, and a member of the Dramatist Guild.

The Italian American Playwrights Series aims to spotlight authentic Italian American voices and stories that reflect the diverse experiences, heritage, and cultural intersections of the Italian American community. Five selected plays are given a public reading at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU and at the Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies.

The series continues with the following readings:
March 23, 2026 – Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies, 6PM – Loving Crazy by Theresa Carilli and Lifting the Veil by Maria Brandt
March 30, 2026 – Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies, 6PM – Five Degree Above Polaris by Karen Howes