Production History of Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Essay

Production History of Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Samuel Beckett was forty-two years old and animate in post-war Paris when he wrote Waiting for Godot as an exercise to wait on rid himself of the writers block which was hindering his work in fiction. Once he started, he became increasingly absorbed in the wreak, and scribbled it almost with turn up hesitation into a soft-cover notebook in a creative burst that lasted from October 9, 1948, until he completed the typed manu handwriting on January 29, 1949. After some revision, he offered the script to several producers, but it was refused. Although Beckett himself gave up hope with the script, his wife was much persistent, and, playacting as his agent, she continued to approach producers. Finally, she met with actor/producer/director Roger Blin, who had produced a string of four under-funded and under-attended turnouts of Synge and Strindberg. Blin was immediately delighted with the piece. Unfortunately, money to produce the play was difficult to come by. Years passed between the writing and the actual production of the work. In the meanwhile, while Blin continued to search for backers, he worked with Beckett to flesh out the play in choosing costuming (Beckett had only envisioned the bowler hats), style, and movement. Blin never asked Beckett to give way the play, noting that The play struck me as so rich and unique in its nudity that it seemed to me improper to question the author about its meaning. Instead, Blin worked almost instinctively through the three years of sporadic rehearsals. Casting was difficult correct though he was quite certain of his choices, contracts were only drawn up a few weeks before opening. Of necessity he ended up playing the part ... ...ted in Esslin 2-3) Although it took much of the world a smaller longer than these inmates to recognize the value of Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot, there is no discredit that it is now considered a classic. It has been translated into numerous languages, and according to Bair, into more editions than Beckett could recall, far more than all his other plays combined. Waiting for Godot is the play that will continue make his reputation for many years to come. Sources Cited Bair, Deirdre. Samuel Beckett, in British Dramatists Since World war II . Ed. Stanley Weintraub. Detroit Bruccoli Clark, 1982, pp. 52-70. Cohn, Ruby. Growing (Up?) with Godot, in Beckett at 80/Beckett in scope . Ed. Enoch Brater. New York Oxford, 1986, pp. 13-24. Esslin, Martin. The Theatre of the Absurd . Rev. ed. Garden City Anchor, 1969.