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Neil Cathro, THE 130: Script Analysis

Neil Cathro

Dr. Christopher Herr

THE 130: Script Analysis

18 April 2017

Waiting for Godot Directorial Concept

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is a weird play and has intrigued audience
members and critics alike for years. Irritated might be as accurate, but yes Samuel Beckett was
strict about his work and was very clear that he wanted them performed as he had written them
with no deviations, so naturally, Im going to completely change the way it is performed. My
take on the play centers around hope. I dont like the idea of Godot being God, I read an article
that included comments from Beckett himself and he is quoted saying If by Godot I had meant
God I would have said God, and not Godot. I see why people may interpret it that way, but if
Beckett didnt mean God than I dont think people should state so confidently that Godot
symbolizes God. Instead, Im choosing to present Godot as a symbol of hope. Its also a broader,
more relatable concept everyone has a vision of what hope means, and they are all valid.
While my set, as I will talk about later, may look dismal and somber there are small flashes of
color that show the hope that comes from Godot. I also think that it still fits with the idea that in
life you wait and wait for things that never come, but you can still have hope. And maybe the
hope is what gives that wait meaning.
The world of Godot in my production is post-apocalyptic. When I read the play, I got this
vibe of abandonment and desertion, I felt like the characters were some of the last on earth and
thats why they clung together so closely. I want my set to feel expansive and empty. A distant
memory of a society that has since disappeared. To begin, my production will be staged on a
thrust stage with audience members on three sides. A huge highway overpass will stretch from
the back of the stage up and out over the audiences heads. I chose to set the show underneath an
overpass because there is nothing more haunting to me than an empty highway. The stage itself
will have a cracked sidewalk, with overgrown grass in the middle, and dead leaves scattered
around the set.. All the colors in the show (besides a select number of things) are muted, not
grayscale, but dull and faded. Like I said earlier, memories of society. Scattered around the edges
Neil Cathro, THE 130: Script Analysis

of the stage will be random pieces of furniture and technology, a mixture of items from all
periods of time.
The tree, one of the few set pieces specifically mentioned and referred to consistently
throughout the script, will be directly center stage to give the idea that it is the center of the
world theyre living in. I want my set to feel real. When the leaves are added in act two they will
be bright, emerald green. Bright colors in my production represent the hope and the progress of
the future. Theatre critic Vivian Mercier said of the show [Beckett] has written a play in which
nothing happens, twice. The second act is essentially act one with only a few differences,
nothing happens, nothing changes. But the leaves show progress. The concept that we as humans
are stuck in a routine and nothing ever changes is upsetting to me but I also understand it, my
production will show that things just take a while to change, but change is coming. Thats what
the bright colors hint at. So while the audience wont get to see the whole world of the play
become full, technicolor, beauty, there is the insinuation that it will happen eventually.
For costumes, Im obsessed with the idea that there is no set time period and everyone is
mismatched with what era theyre from. I want my production to have this otherworldly/alternate
universe feel to it where everything is normal but also not at the same time. The mismatched
time period clothing will also contribute to the idea that the show presents a universal experience
of man, no matter what year youre living in. totally borne out by the play, I think
Estragon and Vladimir, since they are the gateway characters for the audience, will be
dressed the most contemporary. This will start the show so that it almost feels normal. They will
be dressed in large winter coats and baggy pants, like slightly better kept homeless people,
though of course they will still have their signature bowler hats.
Pozzo would be a large, tall man. He will look like hes from the Victorian era, with a tall
top hat. His entrance will be initially off putting to the audience because of his distinctly different
look from the two main characters.
Lucky will be a thin man with dark hair. His makeup will be done to make him appear
gaunt and pale. His only clothing will be pants and a big, heavy 1930s style trench coat and bare
feet.
The boy will be dressed in shockingly bright colors and will be incredibly pristine in his
appearance. The boy, like the leaves will represent the hope that is coming. He isnt Godot, but
he knows Godot, the men are getting closer. Progress. Slowly but surely. He will be dressed in a
Neil Cathro, THE 130: Script Analysis

little kid suit, but it will be made from a plastic/iridescent fabric so that it looks futuristic and
pops onstage.
The acting style will be as any traditional production of the show would be performed.
Since the look is sort of high concept, I dont want to have so many contrasting elements that it
turns the audience off. A challenge with my idea is that it will look messy because of all the
different time periods and costumes going on, to avoid it looking messy the design team will
have to work extra hard to unify all the elements through color and textile.
I hope that my concept will provide audience members with a fresh take on a classic
show that feels both familiar and brand new at the same time. I want my production to leave
audience members contemplating life and its redundancy but also feeling hopeful that change
will come, even if it takes days.

Neil,
I really like this paper, especially the first half. Not only do you offer a coherent thematic way to
tie the play with your design and directing concepts, the themes of the play become clearer. If I
have one quibble here, it would be that I would like to see more use of the text itself to justify the
choices you make. I think they are justifiable, but you still really should do it.

100/100

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