Waiting for Godot at 60: An Exhibition

Waiting for Godot at 60: An Exhibition

Waiting for Godot at 60: An Exhibition

 

Following its positive reception at our April Conference, the Staging Beckett exhibition, Waiting for Godot at 60: An Exhibition, is currently on tour in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, for the duration of the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival.
The exhibition contains materials relating to a wide range of productions of Waiting for Godot staged across the UK, Ireland and international platforms. These include productions such as premieres of Godot in Paris (Théâtre de Babylone, 1953), Berlin (Schlosspark, 1953), London (Arts, 1955) and Dublin (Pike, 1955), as well as later productions at the Nottingham Playhouse with Peter O’Toole (in 1971), the Gate Theatre in Dublin (from 1988-2008) directed by Walter Asmus, and more recent performances such as the Theatre Royal Haymarket (in 2009). In what we believe may be an Irish premiere, Samuel Beckett’s Production Notebook 2 and Warten auf Godot text for his 1975 Schiller Theater Berlin performance are also on display. Furthermore, the exhibition links itself to Beckett’s connections with Enniskillen, as it contains programmes and reviews for performances of Waiting for Godot at Portora Royal School – the school Beckett attended from 1920-1923.

 

Beckett attended Portora Royal School from 1920-1923

Beckett attended Portora Royal School from 1920-1923

Professor Anna McMullan guiding some visitors around Waiting for Godot at 60 during its opening at the Higher Bridges Gallery in the Clinton Centre, Enniskillen.

Professor Anna McMullan guiding some visitors around Waiting for Godot at 60 during its opening at the Higher Bridges Gallery in the Clinton Centre, Enniskillen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for Godot at 60: An Exhibition coincides with the Festival’s programming of the Berliner Ensemble’s performances of Warten auf Godot directed by George Tabori and the 60th year anniversary of the British and English language premiere of Waiting for Godot at the Arts Theatre in London, which was performed on 3rd August 1955.
We appreciate the support of Guy Baxter, Sarah McHugh and the Happy Days Festival team for making this exhibition come to fruition. We are also grateful to the Beckett International Foundation, the Victoria and Albert Museum (particularly for their permission to use photographs of productions held in their Houston Rodgers and Douglas Jeffrey Collections) and to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for their continued support.

Part of the Waiting for Godot at 60 Exhibition

Part of the Waiting for Godot at 60 Exhibition

Waiting for Godot at 60: An Exhibition is curated by Matthew McFrederick, Anna McMullan and Mark Nixon. The Exhibition is open from 10am to 6pm until 2nd August at the Higher Bridges Gallery in the Clinton Centre, Enniskillen and is free.

BBC Artsnight to present Beckett episode

Ian McKellan and Richard Wilson discuss their interest in Samuel Beckett's drama.

Ian McKellan and Richard Wilson discuss their interest in Samuel Beckett’s drama.

One of the real joys of the working on the Staging Beckett project has been the opportunity to meet and discuss Beckett’s theatre with the practitioners, who have contributed to the 60 year history we (the Staging Beckett team) have been uncovering. Believe it or not, on Monday 13th July another unique opportunity arose as I got to meet the renowned actor and director Richard Wilson, when he travelled to the Beckett Collection at the University of Reading.

 

Richard Wilson and James Knowlson during the filming of the BBC's upcoming Artsnight episode dedicated to Samuel Beckett.

Richard Wilson and James Knowlson during the filming of the BBC’s upcoming Artsnight episode dedicated to Samuel Beckett.

 

 

Richard was in Reading to interview the University’s Emeritus Professor and Beckett biographer James Knowlson, and view many of the original items stored in the archive concerning the performance history of Waiting for Godot. Their interview will form part of the next episode of BBC’s Artsnight – dedicated to Samuel Beckett – which will air on Friday 31st July at 11pm on BBC2. This programme will be presented by Richard and includes interviews with Jim as well as some of the foremost practitioners of Beckett’s drama including Hugo Weaving, Lisa Dwan and Juliet Stephenson, as well as a visit to the Happy Days Enniskillen Beckett Festival in Northern Ireland.

 

During our day of filming, Richard was a real gentleman and great company throughout, happily speaking about everything from his interest in Beckett and Sarah Kane to his love of Manchester United. Richard met the University’s Vice Chancellor Sir David Bell and followed up on his genuine passion in Beckett’s work by viewing many of the Collections theatre materials. He has a long held interest in Beckett’s drama beyond his notable TV career, and has performed in Waiting for Godot twice: at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh (in 1968) and at the Manchester Royal Exchange (in 1999). He is presently Associate Director at Sheffield Theatres, where he performed in Krapp’s Last Tape in the Studio Theatre in June 2014.

In a lively interview amongst the archival stacks, Richard asked Jim about those first productions of Godot in Paris and London and Beckett’s impact on the theatre more broadly. On one occasion they even reversed the roles as Jim asked Richard about his approach to performing the roles of Vladimir and Krapp. In good spirits, Jim and Richard concluded the interview with their very own double act moment as they read a small section of Vladimir and Estragon’s dialogue. Hopefully that prospect alone will whet your appetite to watch Friday’s episode!

James Knowlson with Richard Wilson and the BBC Artsnight team at the University of Reading.

James Knowlson with Richard Wilson and the BBC Artsnight team at the University of Reading.

For more information on Friday’s programme visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b064cthp