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

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

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.

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 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.

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

Samuel Beckett directing the San Quentin Drama Workshop actors Bud Thorpe and Rick Cluchey. (Photo by Chris Harris, David Gothard Collection.)

On 5th September 2014 the final theatre where Samuel Beckett worked will close its doors to undergo a major three year redevelopment process. It was 30 years ago that the Riverside Studios, an arts centre in Hammersmith, offered Beckett and the San Quentin Drama Workshop a rehearsal space for their production of Waiting for Godot. Indeed 4 years prior to these rehearsals it also hosted their rehearsals for Endgame. Although these productions were not intended for UK audiences, they did go on to be performed across the world under the title ‘Beckett directs Beckett’. Prior to departing for the Adelaide Arts Festival in 1984, they did however perform Godot for school children in the Hammersmith area in what was considered a final dress rehearsal for this production.

The Riverside’s existing facilities and the building that Beckett would have rehearsed in will be replaced under new developments plans. The new Riverside complex is set to reopen in 2017 with facilities that will include three studios, a cinema and screening room, a community & rehearsal area and a much enhanced public entertainment space.

Designs for the new Riverside Studios in 2017.

Beckett arrived at the Riverside as part of his work with the San Quentin Drama Workshop which stemmed out of his friendship with a former San Quentin prison inmate and Workshop founder, Rick Cluchey. They corresponded frequently over many years about their productions and Cluchey’s persistent suggestions that Beckett view or help out rehearsals paid dividends when Beckett first directed Cluchey in Krapp’s Last Tape in 1977. The following year Beckett helped the group with rehearsals for Endgame in Berlin when he had spare time from his own rehearsals of Spiel (Play) at the Schiller Theater.

During these periods Beckett clearly developed a rapport with the group, whom he referred to as the ‘San Quentinites’ and when a proposed BBC TV production of Eh Joe featuring Cluchey and Billie Whitelaw failed to materialise, Beckett felt a greater sense of responsibility for the group’s touring plans in 1980. His reluctance to return to Dublin, where the 1980 production of Endgame was set to be staged at the Abbey’s Peacock Theatre meant another rehearsal venue had to be found. As a result, the Riverside Studios became an accommodating alternative theatrical home for Beckett in London.
Rehearsing at the Riverside was ‘a happy time for [Beckett]’, where he was in a relaxed mood amongst friends enjoying the creative energy and hospitality shown to him. One of its former employees, Hanif Kureishi, said of the Riverside over these years, ‘For many writers, actors, dancers and artists, Riverside was what a university should be: a place to learn and talk and work and meet your contemporaries. There was no other place like it in London’. Indeed Beckett was one of the many major international artists who worked at the Studios over its lifespan, including Dario Fo, Joan Miro, Antony Gormley and Michael Clark.

Beckett observing rehearsals at the Riverside Studios. (Photo by Chris Harris, David Gothard Collection.)

The rehearsals saw Beckett fine tune the productions before they went on tour with Beckett paying greater attention to the shape and precision of the performance. He would often give the actors line readings or offer more specific notes on performing the characters in his plays. Beckett was also open to performing in rehearsals himself and on one occasion, in the absence of Teri Garcia Suro, Beckett performed the role of Nell alongside Alan Mandell as Nagg. A moment described by the actor Bud Thorpe, who played Clov in the production as ‘frighteningly beautiful.’
This period demonstrated the continuous development of Beckett’s creative intuitions. Since he first wrote the plays his perspective as a writer had changed and in rehearsals he would make cuts and changes to the text. Indeed Mandell noted he once said “There’s too much text” with irritation in his voice. He also came to these plays with new experiences as a director, having previously worked on them in German at the Schiller Theater, Berlin. His detailed production notebooks and annotated texts held at the University of Reading’s Beckett Collection illustrate these developments. By the end of rehearsals Beckett left the Riverside tired from his hard work, though pleased with the results of his endeavours. Indeed his biographer James Knowlson called Waiting for Godot in 1984: ‘one of the most beautiful moonlight productions.’
Other productions of Beckett’s work were staged at the Riverside involving some performers synonymous with his theatre. These included Texts (an adaptation of Texts for Nothing and How It Is) performed by Joseph Chaikin in 1981, Rockaby/Footfalls/Enough with Billie Whitelaw and Max Wall in Krapp’s Last Tape in 1986. Furthermore the Riverside staged the first production of Beckett’s drama after his death, with a production of Krapp’s Last Tape and Catastrophe, featuring David Warrilow and bringing together a number of Beckett’s closest friends in the theatre to his alternative theatrical home.
With the Studios closing tomorrow, William Burdett-Coutts stated regarding the venue’s future, ‘In our new environment we will continue to provide a mixed programme of performing art in all its forms as well as the best in cinema and television. Our intention is to combine Riverside’s historic success into a new offering, in which we collaborate with arts organisations from around the country.’ Will Beckett’s drama be part of the Riverside Studios future? We’ll have to wait until 2017…

Walter Asmus in conversation with Nick Johnson for the second Staging Beckett public talk at the Beckett Summer School.

On Thursday 14^th August 2014 we were delighted to have Walter Asmus in conversation with Dr Nick Johnson for our second Staging Beckett public talk as part of this year’s Samuel Beckett Summer School at Trinity College Dublin.

As Nick wittily put it, Walter has directed Beckett’s drama in ‘all of the world’s inhabited continents’. These productions range from Waiting for Godot at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York to Breath in Russia. In his illustrious career Walter has directed 17 of Beckett’s plays available for the stage-indeed Walter was quick note to the large audience in attendance that the exceptions so far have proved to be Play and Catastrophe.  This week he returned to London for the final rehearsals of Not I/Footfalls/Rockaby as it plays this week at the Southbank Centre, ahead of its UK and international tour. (For further details visit: http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/not-i-footfalls-rockaby-uk-tour)

Staging Beckett team members, Matthew McFrederick and Professor Anna McMullan, alongside Walter Asmus and Dr Nick Johnson at the TCD Beckett Summer School.

Indeed this recent production, as well as Walter’s experiences working alongside Beckett and his approach to Beckett’s drama as a director led to an insightful discussion in Trinity’s Long Room Hub.

Walter’s conversation with Nick followed an earlier screening of his recent film of What Where, which also showed a documentary of how the film was made at the University of Western Sydney.

In the coming months Walter’s interview at the TCD Samuel Beckett Summer School will be posted on our soon to be launched AHRC Staging Beckett website.

Our second Staging Beckett conference at the University of Chester will host our next public talk with the actress Tricia Kelly. Tricia will talk about her career in the theatre, including her performance as Mouth in Not I at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

‘Staging Beckett at the Margins’ takes place from 11^th-12^th September 2014 at the University of Chester and will focus on perceived notions of Beckett at the margins, on productions staged outside London and other major theatrical centres. To register, please visit: http://www.chester.ac.uk/staging-beckett