By Samuel Beckett
Directed by Joanna Settle
Presented by XO Projects,
Inc.
The Old American Can Factory, Brooklyn
October 31 – November 2, 2003 |
| About the Texts: |
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Act
Without Words I
Written in French in 1956, this solo performance, described
by the author as “a mime for one player.” is
in many ways not typical of Beckett. For one, there are
no words, or more precisely, only one elemental word – water.
While much has been made of the names of Beckett’s
characters, this protagonist is nameless. He is flung
backwards onto a bare stage and silently (with more than
a hint of vaudeville) does battle with an unseen , taunting
protagonist.
Rockaby
Written in English in 1980, this eight-minute play reveals
a woman rocking to and fro in a rocker, gazing out a
window. Her inner thoughts are heard in voiceover. Occasionally,
she speaks. This delicate, rarely produced short is traditionally
performed by an elderly actress, but in this case is
performed by company member Katie Taber, continuing D13’s
commitment to presenting Beckett’s existential
questions as faced by young and old alike. |
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Breath
Written in 1969 in response to Kenneth Tynan’s
request for a piece to include in his show Oh, Calcutta,
which features a series of risqué sketches, Breath
lasts less than a minute. On a set full of rubbish, a
person cries out, then breathes in again.
That Time
Similar to the formal experimentation of Play, That Time,
written in English between 1974 and 1975, intercuts three
monologues from three separate periods of time in the
experience of one character. Each voice, ‘A’, “B’ and ‘C’ recall
separate stories. The pattern is precise, with each voice
speaking four times during the course of each of three
scenes, all of which are marked off by silences. The
first and second scenes offer precise parallel patterns,
the third offers a pattern repeated three times. Time
and visions of nothingness burden each voice. D13’s
site-specific, water-bound staging of this work is designed
to engage the text on its most poetic level. |
About the Production:
Comprised of four plays, Beckett SHORTS [4] led the audience
through the 140,000 sf Old American Can Factory complex
allowing them to experience each play in a unique location.
Rooftops, stairwells and a basement lake provided a distinct
and evocative environment for each performance.
Beckett SHORTS [4] continued Division 13’s history
of producing Beckett’s short plays in unique locations.
Previous acclaimed productions include
PLAY (“Intensely
interested audiences of forty to sixty people stood on the
sidewalk for the full forty minutes in chilly, wet autumn
weather. The power of the production was undeniable.")
and the Chicago production of
ROCKABY.
(“The language ebbed, rushed, and repeated without
ever seeming monotonous or unnatural. Though the play explores
the experience of aging and the approach of dissolution,
the ultimate effect is not depressing. Memories, characters,
and voices fill the room to make a profound case for how
much life can be distilled from the most diminished human
situations.")
Program Information:
Director: Joanna Settle
Lighting Design: Peter West
Sound Design: Mike Frank
Production Stage Manager: Lisa Gavaletz
Assistant Sound Design: Stephen Bettridge
Act Without Words
I
Building E Chapel
Performance: Stephen Rishard
Set Design: Andrew Lieberman
Violin: Obadiah Eaves
Rigging Operators: Lisa Gavaletz and Andrew Carranza
Light and Sound Operator: Stephen Bettridge |
Breath
Building F Roof
Installation Design: Joanna Settle
Voice-over: Rachel Sledd |
That Time
Building A Cellar
Performance: Anne DeAcetis
Site Design: Nathan Elbogen
Sound and Light Operator: Lisa Gavaletz |
Rockaby
Building A Roof
Performance: Katie Taber
Sound and Light Operator: Stephen Bettridge |
