THE HISTORY OF THEATRE2

SAMUEL BECKETT (1906 - 1989)

Novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet.

Irish, resident of Paris for most of his life, wrote in both English and French

Style: black comedy (tragicomedy)

Brought up in Dublin, Beckett was brought with a sports influence (later inspiring him to play first-class cricket for his university). His family were involved with the Anglican Church of Ireland. He studied modern literature at Trinity College, Dublin. He then went on to study French, Italian and English (at the same college) between 1923 and 1927. Beckett graduated with a BA and, after teaching briefly at Campbell College in Belfast, took up the post of 'lecteur d'anglaisat' (English Lecturer) at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris from November 1928 to 1930. While there, he was introduced to renowned Irish author James Joyce by Thomas MacGreevy, a poet and close confidant of Beckett who also worked there. His first work was with this writer, assisting him on writing 'Finnegans Wake'. In 1929, Beckett published his first work, a critical essay entitled "Dante... Bruno. Vico.. Joyce". 

THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

The theatre of the absurd was a short-lived yet significant theatrical movement, centred in Paris in the 1950s. Unusual in this instance was the absence of a single practitioner spearheading the form. Largely based on the philosophy of existentialism, absurdism was implemented by a small number of European playwrights. Common elements included illogical plots inhabited by characters who appeared out of harmony with their own existence. The typical playgoer had never seen anything like this on the stage before. The theatre of the absurd will be remembered in history for many things, the most significant of these being Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting for Godot, one of the great plays of the 20th century. Absurdism is commonly studied in senior high school and university drama and theatre courses. Below are the main conventions of the theatre of the absurd.

WAITING FOR GODOT

En attendant Godot was composed between 1947 and 1949. The French version, whose title actually means “while waiting for Godot,” was published in 1952 and opened in Paris on 5 January 1953, for a run of more than 300 performances. The English version was published in New York in 1954, played at the Arts Theatre in London the following year, and had its American première at Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami on 3 January 1956.

But almost every opening night of Godot has been marked by extreme reactions. The Paris production was hailed by many critics as a major dramatic breakthrough.

Godot is a masterpiece that will cause despair for men in general and playwrights in particular.

En attendant Godot was first performed in the small auditorium of the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris in February 1952. It was directed by Roger Blin, a respected French director in the years after World War II, who also played Pozzo.

"Two men, Vladimir and Estragon, meet near a tree. They converse on various topics and reveal that they are waiting there for a man named Godot. While they wait, two other men enter. Pozzo is on his way to the market to sell his slave, Lucky. He pauses for a while to converse with Vladimir and Estragon. Lucky entertains them by dancing and thinking, and Pozzo and Lucky leave.

After Pozzo and Lucky leave, a boy enters and tells Vladimir that he is a messenger from Godot. He tells Vladimir that Godot will not be coming tonight, but that he will surely come tomorrow. Vladimir asks him some questions about Godot and the boy departs. After his departure, Vladimir and Estragon decide to leave, but they do not move as the curtain falls.

The next night, Vladimir and Estragon again meet near the tree to wait for Godot. Lucky and Pozzo enter again, but this time Pozzo is blind and Lucky is dumb. Pozzo does not remember meeting the two men the night before. They leave and Vladimir and Estragon continue to wait.

Shortly after, the boy enters and once again tells Vladimir that Godot will not be coming. He insists that he did not speak to Vladimir yesterday. After he leaves, Estragon and Vladimir decide to leave, but again they do not move as the curtain falls, ending the play." (reference)

Like most of his work, Samuel Beckett originally composed Waiting for Godot in French. After studying the language as a student at Trinity College, Dublin, Beckett moved to Paris in 1928 at the age of 22, where he lived for much of his life. En attendant Godot premiered at Paris's tiny Théâtre de Babylone on 5 January 1953. Directed by Roger Blin, who also played Pozzo, the production starred Lucien Raimbourg as Vladimir, Pierre Latour as Estragon and Jean Martin as Lucky. (source)

Beckett's English language version of the play, which he translated himself, premiered at the Arts Theatre in London in 1955, directed by Peter Hall.

EXISTENTIALISM

Existentialism is a philosophical theory that people are free agents who have control over their choices and actions. Existentialists believe that society should not restrict an individual's life or actions and that these restrictions inhibit free will and the development of that person's potential.

Here are examples:

• You identify yourself as an athlete and have a promising career. Then you have a severe injury and your career is over. At that point, you would have an existential crisis because you have defined yourself as an athlete.
• If you are raised to believe that God rewards good people and punishes bad people, you may have a problem coping with injustice or cruel acts inflicted by bad people on good people.
• You see yourself as a parent so when the children leave the home, you are faced with a crisis in how you perceive yourself.
• You are a soldier and you have been told that you will be considered a hero by people you are trying to help. Then you find out that they hate you.
• You fall in love and want to live with that person forever. Then you discover that person does not feel the same way. (source)