After a start/stop year of theatrics due to the current pandemic, GEDS (aka Geneva English Drama Society) has come back swinging with a classic: Waiting for Godot. We chatted with John Ward, director of the play. Read down to enter the competition for a pair of tickets!
What has been the inspiration to put together Waiting for Godot?
Waiting for Godot was actually the first play I saw in a theatre apart from the odd musical or pantomime. I saw it in a theatre in Cork, Ireland, where I grew up. I had heard of Waiting for Godot before and of course, of Samuel Beckett, the author, though I didn’t know much about him either. I was really struck with how funny it was. Beckett had this reputation for being quite heavy, and indeed his novels and other works are not the easiest of reads but Waiting for Godot wasn’t like that.
It was a funny and touching play about two friends stuck in an impossible situation. It had a wit and charm about it that I wasn’t expecting. When I thought about proposing a play to direct for the Geneva English Drama Society, my first experience and great memories of Godot came back to me. Little did I know at the time that the world would be gripped by a pandemic and the themes of Waiting for Godot would become all the more relevant as the whole world waited to get through the upheaval of the pandemic!
A Tragicomedy in Two Acts
The play is described by the author as a Tragicomedy in two acts and it's basically about two men named Vladimir and Estragon who are waiting at the side of a road for someone named Godot. I don't think I’m giving anything away to say that Godot doesn’t arrive.
However, various other characters pass along the road. A rich landowner called Pozzo and his slave pass by and at the end of each act a boy arrives with a message from the mysterious Mr Godot. The play is essentially about these two characters waiting and how they converse and entertain themselves to stave off the boredom of their situation.
It's never quite clear who Godot is or what he had promised them. The play has been lauded as a profound statement on the human condition in that we are all waiting for something and often we aren’t quite sure what that is. This was the great trick that Beckett pulled off in this play. By stripping the story down to its bare essentials and even a fairly bare stage he produced from a simple story a commentary on the human condition that has made the play world famous.
Despite that, the play is essentially a comedy about two friends trying to cope with the absurd situation they have been cast into. It is also sharpy, energetic, and darkly funny!
What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome to get the "show on the road"?
For this production, the biggest obstacle by far has been the Covid situation. This play was originally supposed to be on the stage in May 2020. The cast had just had the first read through of the rehearsals when covid hit and we were suspended indefinitely.
The irony of trying to put on a play about waiting for someone who never arrives when the play itself never seemed to arrive was not lost on us! Then there were recastings as some actors were no longer available. Some left the production for other commitments only to rejoin again as the delays continued. All in all this has been quite a journey to get this into a theatre.
What are the plans for the future?
Considering I have been waiting since 2019 to get this play into a theatre, I think when Waiting for Godot has been completed I'll just enjoy some theatre as a spectator for a while. I do have a few ideas for a future production that I’d like to do which I’ll be thinking about.
The next show GEDS is planning will be a production of Private Lives by Noël Coward which is planned to take the stage 23-27 November 2021.
What is your favorite character in the play and why?
I think my favourite character of the play is Vladimir, one of the two main characters who are waiting for Godot. I would really regard him as the central character of the play. It is he who is really searching for the truth throughout the play. Despite their bleak situation, he maintains his optimism that Godot will arrive and they will be saved in some way though what Godot will do for them or even who Godot is is never really clear. There are many themes in the play but Vladimir's search for the truth is one of the primary ones.
GEDS is kindly offering TWO knowitall.ch readers a pair of tickets (value per pair Fr. 40.-). Just fill out this form and answer this question: What does GEDS stand for?
Only one entry per email is allowed. The competition closes at midnight on Thursday, 30 September 2021. The names of all those submitting correct answers will be placed into the digital hat and the winners' names drawn at random on Friday, 1 October 2021. The winners will be notified by email. No cash equivalent of prizes is permitted.
GENEVA ENGLISH DRAMA SOCIETY
presents
Waiting for Godot
directed by John Ward
by Samuel Beckett
Starring: Gary Bird, Julian Finn, Luke Gnadt, Neil-Jon Morphy, Paul Rogers
CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS (Fr. 20.- and Fr. 30.-/seat)
5-9 October 2021
Tuesday to Friday 20h
Saturday 19h
Théâtre de l'Espérance
8, rue de la Chapelle
1207 Genève
By car: The Villereuse and Eaux-Vives 2000 parking garages are nearby.
By public transport: via tram N° 12, stop Terrassière, which is located just above the Theater. Also from the Cornavin train station via bus N° 61, stop Terrassière.
In conformity with federal regulations, a Covid Certificate (either of vaccination; of recovery from Covid infection; or of a very recent negative test) is mandatory for attendance at all theatrical events. The certificate with a personal QR code is valid with an identity document and will be read at the door.
If you are unvaccinated, you should present a valid Certificate of a negative Covid test. The Rapid Antigen Test is free to all with a Swiss health card and is valid 48 hours.
