Difference between revisions of "Waiting for Godot"

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''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' by Samuel Beckett (1906–1989) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Beckett] 
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#REDIRECT [[En attendant Godot]]
 
 
 
 
== The original text ==
 
 
 
One of the most influential plays of the twentieth century, Beckett’s Absurdist masterpiece of  two clowns waiting for the "coming" of the enigmatic "Godot" has been performed in numerous guises across the world by professionals, amateurs and students. 
 
 
 
Published by Faber and Faber, 1956.
 
 
 
==Translations and adaptations==
 
 
 
Locally it has also had an enormous influence on the nature of South African theatre, inter alia on the work of [[Athol Fugard]] (see ''[[Boesman and Lena]]'' for example), [[Bartho Smit]], [[André P. Brink]] and [[Charles J. Fourie]]. (See Absurdist Theatre in Part 3 Section 1: Terminology*?)
 
 
 
In 1980 it was given an "African flavour" by director [[Donald Howarth]] for his production at the [[Baxter Theatre]], adding an the arid set, a parched sky and a lullaby crooned in Xhosa.
 
 
 
''[[Duckrabbit]]'' ([[Lara Foot-Newton]] and [[Gerhard Marx]]) staged a Karoo version of ''[[Waiting for Godot]]''.
 
2001: Produced and directed by [[Lara Foot-Newton]]’s production for the 2001 Grahamstown Festival with [[Seputla Sebogodi]], [[Lionel Newton]], [[Robert Whitehead]] and [[Bheki Vilakazi]]).  ''[[Elvis du Pisani]]'' by [[Paul Slabolepszy]]  and ''[[Ways of Dying]]'' by [[Zakes Mda]] also produced in Stockholm at the Civic Theatre.
 
 
 
Adapted and translated into [[Afrikaans]] by [[Suseth Brits]] ([[Suseth Wilcocks]]) as ''[[Afspraak met Godot]]''.
 
 
 
''[[Actress & Girl]]'' is a two-woman play, based on ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' and created and performed by [[Maude Sandham]] and [[Rachael Neary]] , two young theatre-makers in South Africa, produced by [[Masidlale Productions]][i]. Performed at the [[Musho! Festival]] 2015. http://original-vs-copy.interartive.org/2015/07/jacobs/
 
 
 
== Performance history in South Africa ==
 
 
 
1955-6: First produced professionally in South Africa by [[Leonard Schach]] on his return from an overseas excursion in 1955.  It opened at the [[Little Theatre]] in Cape Town with [[Gavin Haughton]] as Vladimir and [[Alec Bell]] as Estragon, also starring [[Donald Inskip]] (Lucky), [[Gordon Roberts]] (Pazzo) and [[Frank Rothgiesser]] (A Boy). Decor by [[Cecil Pym]] and lighting by [[E.G. Marshall]]. The play was also presented at the [[Hofmeyr Theatre]] and then taken on a tour of several country towns in South Africa under [[Brian Brooke]]’s management. Schach claims that Cape Town audiences saw it before any other English language audiences, outside of London.
 
 
 
1956: Schach then collaborated with [[Leon Gluckman]] and [[Taubie Kushlick]] as co-producers to stage it once again, this time at the [[Technical College Hall]] in 1956, starring [[Alec Bell]], [[Gerrit Wessels]] and [[Gavin Haughton]]. 
 
 
 
1959: Presented in the [[NTO Kamertoneel]], Pretoria, from 2 to 13 July, directed by [[Tone Brulin]] with Brulin, [[David Herbert]], [[Gabriel Bayman]] (Pozzo), [[Gerrit Wessels]] (Lucky) and [[Ivor Kruger]]. [[Ivor Krüger]]
 
 
 
1962: A production of the play was directed by [[Athol Fugard]] in the [[AMDA]] [[Rehearsal Room]], with a cast including [[Connie Mabaso]] (Estragon) [[David Phetoe]] (Vladimir), [[Gilbert Xaba]] and [[Job Mnisi]].
 
 
 
1965: Presented by the [[University of Cape Town]] Department of Speech and Drama at the [[Little Theatre]], directed by [[Robert Mohr]], starring [[Frank Lazarus]] (Extragon), [[John Mitchell]] (Vladimir), [[Joey Wishnia]] (Lucky), [[Roy Sargeant]] (Pozzo) and Chronis Papacostas (A Boy). Set designed by [[Keith Anderson]], costumes by [[Helen Rooza]], lighting by [[Cliff Taylor]].
 
 
 
1970: A [[PACOFS]] production, directed by [[Bill Smuts]] with [[Neels Coetzee]], [[William Egan]], [[George Barnes]] and [[Leon Cloete]], performed in Bloemfontein and in Pretoria for [[PACT]].
 
 
 
1971: Performed by the Wits [[University Players]] on Tuesday 6 July 1971 starring [[John Coulton]], [[John Jackson]], [[Malcolm Rosenfeld]], [[Bill Stevens]], [[Johnny Levin]]. Directed by [[Frank Morton]]. ([[TECON]]).
 
 
 
1976: A workshopped version with the all-black cast of [[James Mthoba]] and [[Sam Williams]], directed  by [[Benjy Francis]] (Durban, Soweto and [[Upstairs at the Market]]).
 
 
 
1976: [[Rhodes University Drama Department]] directed by [[Graham Brown]] and [[Richard McKenzie]] in September 1976 starring, among others, [[Dennis Gazard]] and [[John Maytham]].
 
 
 
1980: Staged at the [[Baxter Theatre]], directed by [[Donald Howarth]], with [[John Kani]] ("Vladimir"), [[Winston Ntshona]] ("Estragon"), [[Pieter-Dirk Uys]] ("Pozzo"), [[Peter Piccolo]] ("Lucky") and [[Silamour Philander]] ("the messenger").  The multiracial cast, approved by Beckett himself, caused quite a stir back then, but the play received good reviews. After the Cape Town run, the play was also performed at the [[Grahamstown National Arts Festival]], the [[Port Elizabeth Opera House]], and the [[Market Theatre]], Johannesburg (in the latter case, playing for three weeks).
 
 
 
1981: The [[Baxter Theatre]] production went on an international tour to the USA and Britain, with [[Bill Flynn]] now taking over the role of "Pozzo" from Uys. The tour included New Haven, Connecticut, the Old Vic Theatre in London and the Oxford Playhouse in Oxford. It was also invited to participate in the ''First International Baltimore Theatre Festival'' but on arrival the play was picketed by anti-Apartheid demonstrators for the seemingly bizarre reason that it and the Baxter theatre were viewed by the demonstrators as  "part and parcel of the South African propaganda machine to misrepresent what was taking place in the country". So the performances were was called off.
 
 
 
1991: [[PACT]] Drama, November 1991, directed by [[Dieter Reible]], the cast consisted of [[Michael McCabe]] as Estragon, [[Dale Cutts]] as Vladimir, [[Louis van Niekerk]] as Pozzo and [[James Borthwick]] portrayed Lucky.
 
 
 
1998: Staged in the [[Thabong Theatre]] at [[The Civic]] in Johannesburg in June 1998, directed by [[Maralin Vanrenen]], with [[James Ngcobo]], [[Russel Savadier]], [[André-Jacques van der Merwe]] and [[Christopher Kindo]].
 
 
 
2010: After two years of touring with a critically acclaimed production of ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', British actor Ian McKellen [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_McKellen] and his cast were in SA to perform Beckett's seminal play at The [[Fugard Theatre]]. The play was directed by [[Sean Mathias]].
 
 
 
== Sources ==
 
Theatre programme (PACOFS 1970): [[NELM]] [Collection: Performing Arts Council Orange Free State (PACOFS)]: 2009. 67. 1. 2. 49).
 
 
 
Three black and white photographs of  scenes from the [[PACOFS]] production of ''[[Waiting for Godot]]''. Directed by [[Bill Smuts]], 1970.
 
 
 
Review by [[Lewis Sowden]], ''[[The Rand Daily Mail]]'', 10 April 1956.
 
 
 
''[[Lantern]]'', December 1959.
 
 
 
Photograph (1962 production) held by [[NELM]]: Photograph collection, large format [Collection: MISCELLANEOUS]: 2005. 20. 71.
 
 
 
[[ESAT Bibliography I|Inskip]], 1977. p 119.
 
 
 
Theatre programmes Little Theatre (1955), UCT (1965) and Baxter (1980).
 
 
 
''PACT Info'' (1), 1991-1992.
 
 
 
[[Die Beeld]], 26 June, 2001.
 
 
 
http://original-vs-copy.interartive.org/2015/07/jacobs/
 
 
 
''Business Day'', 7 September 2010.
 
 
 
[[ESAT Bibliography Scha|Schach]] 1996.
 
 
 
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Latest revision as of 16:29, 27 November 2024

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