The Red and Black

Issue date: 1/9/04 Section: Variety

Blake Bowen, left, and Aaron Beelner, both graduate acting students in the University of Georgia Drama Department, perform a scene from Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." (Special * The Red & Black) [Click to enlarge]

"Waiting for Godot," the absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

To mark the occasion, the Graduate Acting Company will present their production of "Waiting for Godot" all weekend long.

Long known as the play where nothing happens, "Waiting for Godot" follows the story of two vagabonds, Estragon (graduate student Aaron Beelner) and Vladimir (graduate student Blake Bowen) as they wait for Godot.

"Who is Godot? That is for the audience to decide," Beelner said.

"It's a journey for the audience and a journey for the players to find out who Godot is," said Dave Limbach, publicity director for the play.

"He's not just a reflection of God or the search for God. It's something more than that, and that's what Beckett wants people to find out for themselves," he added.

When "Waiting for Godot" first premiered in Paris 50 years ago, critics reacted coldly to Beckett's absurdist style. As word of mouth spread, however, the show became a success and eventually ran for 400 performances.

WAITING FOR GODOT Where: The Cellar Theatre When: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Admission: $5 for students, $7 for non-students To reserve tickets, send a request to beelz@uga.edu

Samuel Beckett was famous for keeping the messages in his shows ambiguous. The playwright was believed to leave out scenes he had written just to make sure they weren't too clear.

"But he was very particular about the meaning of his plays," Limbach said. "Beckett was actually invited to a production of "Waiting for Godot," but when he saw that they weren't being true to his meaning, he stopped the production right there."

Although the Graduate Acting Company doesn't have to worry about Beckett storming their production, "Godot" is an actor-driven play, so the cast has a lot of responsibility when it comes to accurately communicating the writer's message.

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