Blackbird Theatre Presents Samuel Beckett's Profound Comedic Masterpiece 'Waiting for Godot'

Brilliant? Absurd? A lot of meaningless nonsense? Blackbird Theatre presents that play - Samuel Beckett's harrowing, funny, and deeply human masterpiece Waiting for Godot, directed by John Wright, December 27, 2011 to January 21, 2012 at The Cultch (Vancouver East Cultural Centre). Vancouver’s award-winning and celebrated interpreter of classical theatre brings to life a seminal work of the 20th century where nothing happens...twice.

“People love it. People hate it. But Godot is unstoppable,” said John Wright, Artistic Director of Blackbird Theatre. “After almost 60 years of continuous performances around the world it still commands the stage, inspiring and confounding, bringing laughter and tears, and enriching our appreciation of human culture. As for Blackbird’s production, this is my guarantee: If you have always loved this play, your love will be uniquely refreshed, if you have always hated it, new comedic riches await your needy heart.”

The iconic modern classic Waiting for Godot received its world premiere at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris in 1953. First performed in English in 1955, Beckett's masterwork exploded onto the London stage shocking as many people as it delighted.

The setting – a country road, a tree, and a stone. The action – Act I: Two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, ease the tension by clowning, joking and arguing, while waiting expectantly for the mysterious Godot - a figure they are not certain they could recognize, even if he should appear. Their vigil is interrupted by the arrival of the bombastic, once-mighty Pozzo, urging on with a whip his much abused man servant-slave Lucky. Night falls.

Act II: The same. Or is it...?

To bring this endlessly elusive yet universal work to the stage, Blackbird Theatre has assembled a brilliant cast with some of Vancouver’s finest actors. In the central roles are Vladimir (Anthony F. Ingram) and Estragon (Simon Webb) - a duo last seen together in Blackbird Theatre’s Great Expectations and previously in the critically acclaimed, Jessie-nominated Pinter’s Briefs. Playing the roles of Pozzo and Lucky are Blackbird alumni William Samples (The Birthday Party) and Adam Henderson (Peer Gynt). Zander Constant will make his Blackbird debut as the Boy.


Waiting for Godot will be directed by Blackbird Theatre Artistic Director Wright, Assistant Director Kathy Duborg, with set and costume design by Marti Wright, and lighting design by Conor Moore. Jayson McLean is the Production Manager and Joanne P.B. Smith will stage manage the show.

About Blackbird Theatre Company (www.blackbirdtheatre.ca)

A classic play is a human fable that time does not invalidate.

Established in 2005, Blackbird Theatre Company draws its inspiration from the great playwrights of the ancient and modern worlds, and from the community in which we live.

Blackbird’s plays are chosen for the brilliance of their dramatic and comedic achievements as well as their relevance to contemporary life. Presentation of these classic works has brought the company to prominence throughout the Lower Mainland theatre community.

Blackbird Theatre is regularly honoured by the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, including wins for Outstanding Production in 2007 for Peer Gynt and in 2008 for The Triumph of Love. The company garnered six Jessie nominations for the 2009 interpretation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Altogether Blackbird Theatre has received 27 nominations and seven awards in the company’s short seven-year lifetime.

About Samuel Beckett

Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, critic, and poet who spent most of his working life in Paris and wrote in both English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human culture, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.

Beckett is widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century. Strongly influenced by James Joyce, he is considered one of the last modernists. As an inspiration to many later writers, he is also sometimes considered one of the first postmodernists. He is one of the key writers in what Martin Esslin called the "Theatre of the Absurd". His work became increasingly minimalist in his later career.

Best known for his plays including Endgame, Krapp’s Last Tape and Happy Days as well as Waiting for Godot, Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

Blackbird Theatre
5115 Keith Road
West Vancouver
V7W 2M9
http://blackbirdtheatre.ca

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This release was published on openPR.