Waiting for Godot

A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Waiting for Godot

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  4m, 1boy(s)

Samuel Beckett

Waiting for Godot is considered the masterpiece of existentialism, in which Samuel Beckett explores the fultility of man's hope.


Image: Joan Marcus

Waiting for Godot

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4m, 1boy(s)
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Experimental
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
In Waiting for Godot, two wandering tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, wait by a lonely tree, to meet up with Mr. Godot, an enigmatic figure in a world where time, place and memory are blurred and meaning is where you find it. The tramps hope that Godot will change their lives for the better. Instead, two eccentric travelers arrive, one man on the end of the other's rope. The results are both funny and dangerous in this existential masterpiece. 
History
Waiting for Godot premiered on January 5, 1953 in the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris. The production was directed by Roger Blin, who also played the role of Pozzo.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups

VLADIMIR (DIDI) – The more responsible and mature of the two wandering tramps.
ESTRAGON (GOGO) – Seems weak and helpless, always looking for Vladimir's protection. He also has a poor memory.
POZZO – A wealthy and large passerby.
LUCKY – Pozzo's slave, who carries Pozzo's bags and stool.
BOY – A child, supposedly in the employ of Mr. Godot. 

  • Time Period 1950s, 1940s / WWII, 1930s, 1920s
  • Setting A wasteland with a single tree. 
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“A witty and poetic conundrum.” – Philip Hope-Wallace, The Guardian

“It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. But you can expect witness to the strange power this drama has to convey the impression of some melancholy truths about the hopeless destiny of the human race.” – Brooks Atkinson, The New York Times

“Although Waiting for Godot is a "puzzlement," as the King of Siam would express it, Mr. Beckett is no charlatan. He has strong feelings about the degradation of mankind, and he has given vent to them copiously. "Waiting for Godot" is all feeling. Perhaps that is why it is puzzling and convincing at the same time. Theatregoers can rail at it, but they cannot ignore it. For Mr. Beckett is a valid writer.” – Brooks Atkinson, The New York Times

Photos

  • Waiting for Godot

    Image: Joan Marcus

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing available for professional groups only. Some restrictions apply.

Scripts

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Authors

Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) is widely recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

Mr. Beckett is most renowned for his play Waiting for Godot, which launched his career in theatre. He then went on to w ...

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