The Marquee

Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot was first performed at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris in January of 1953 under the original French title En Attendant Godot. Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) had written the play in French in 1948-49, and he translated it into his native English in 1954, though the translation is not a literal one. The English-language version premiered in August 1955 at the Arts Theatre in London. The United States premiere was at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Coconut Grove, Florida in January 1956. It starred Tom Ewell as Vladimir and Bert Lahr as Estragon. For the Salomon Theatre production of Waiting for Godot, I have chosen to cast the play non-traditionally, with the majority of roles being performed by female actors. The traditional casting of four men and a boy was something Beckett insisted on and took several theatre companies to court in the 1980s to try to enforce his vision of the roles. The courts ruled against him and several subsequent productions have used non-traditional casting in an attempt to explore the material from a fresh perspective. In our production we have explored how the interplay between the lead characters differs when played by female actors and how that difference demands that we as audience members adjust our expectations in terms of our stereotypical responses to material that has become nearly canonical in the theatre.

Waiting for Godot is generally accepted as one of the finest examples from the “Theatre of the Absurd.” Absurdist theatre pieces tend to explore the human experience as potentially fraught with meaninglessness. In the play, the main characters spend their lives waiting for the enigmatic Godot to arrive “as promised” and relieve them of their predicament of malaise. They keep themselves entertained by means of various distractions to alleviate the discomfort of their wait.  Many have tried over the years to apply a deeper meaning to the struggles of Didi and Gigi, and to unlock the ultimate identity of Godot, but the playwright would never confirm any analysis while he lived. According to Beckett, the play was written merely as a distraction from novel writing and was inspired either by “Two Men Contemplating the Moon” (1819) or “Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon” (1845), both painted by Caspar David Friedrich. In a note to the audience for an abridged radio performance of the play in 1952, Beckett explained:

"I don't know who Godot is. I don't even know (above all don't know) if he exists. And I don't know if they believe in him or not - those two who are waiting for him. The other two who pass by towards the end of the two acts, that must be to break up the monotony. All I knew I showed. It's not much, but it's enough for me, by a wide margin. I'll even say that I would have been satisfied with less. As for wanting to find in all that a broader, loftier meaning to carry away from the performance...I cannot see the point of it."

London Theatre Offerings

During the summer and fall of 2008, the Department of Communication and Theatre will again be offering courses of study in London.

The summer five week term will offer courses in British culture, communication theories and research, intercultural communication and independent study. The program will also allow students to experience numerous plays and musicals in London and Stratford upon Avon as well as providing the opportunity for independent travel..

A second course of study will also be offered in the Fall off 2008. Students on this trip will be guided in their studies and tours by PLNU faculty Ronda and Carl Winderl.

The intent of the Fall program is to allow PLNU students the opportunity to complete a semester of 12-17 credits in Great Britain (principally London) with the vast cultural resources of the country easily accessible and incorporated into their various courses. Creative scheduling will provide several long weekend breaks to facilitate travel throughout Great Britain and Europe, with more extensive independent travel possible after courses conclude in late November.

Courses will offer/include extensive exposure to the museums, concert halls, professional and fringe theatres, political and historic sites. Several overnight visits will be provided as part of the coursework, to locations such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Bath and Stonehenge.