The Beckett Trilogy

“Dark Energy: An Aesthetic of Irrelevance”

from As If: An Autobiography

Herbert Blau, a leading theater and performance theorist as well as the renowned director of some of the earliest avant-garde theater productions in the U.S., will present a lecture entitled “Dark Energy: An Aesthetic of Irrelevance” from his soon-to-be-released book, As If: An Autobiography. His presentation will reflect upon the theatrical atmosphere in San Francisco during the time that The Actor’s Workshop was developing. He also will discuss his now legendary 1957 production of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, at California’s San Quentin State Prison and a pivotal moment in the life of one inmate. It was in this production that Blau began working with the actor and San Quentin inmate, Rick Cluchey, who will perform Krapps’ Last Tape one week following the lecture.

• Lecture: Dr. Herbert Blau
• Fine Arts Center Recital Hall
• Thursday, October 30, 2008
• Lecture 7:00 pm
• Free

For Samuel Beckett

by Morton Feldman (1926-1987) with Tom Chiu, conductor

The third component of the Beckett Trilogy will be a rare performance of contemporary American composer Morton Feldman’s For Samuel Beckett (1987). The piece involves a chamber ensemble of 23 musicians; UNF music professors Charlotte Mabrey and Simon Shiao will, along with other UNF faculty and students, participate in the performance. The renowned young composer and violinist Tom Chiu will be conducting a four-day residency with UNF faculty and students in preparation for the performance of the piece. On Friday, October 31, at 12:00 noon, Chiu will hold a "Performance Lab" during which he will perform several pieces for solo violin as well as lecture on Feldman and the presentation of For Samuel Beckett. This event will be held in the Recital Hall and is free and open to the public. Chiu last performed at UNF with Joan La Barbara in March 2007.

• Music: For Samuel Beckett
• Monday, November 3, 2008
• Robinson Theatre
• Performance 7:30 pm
• Free

Krapp’s Last Tape

by Samuel Beckett starring Rick Cluchey

From the life-altering theatrical performance of Waiting for Godot at San Quentin, Cluchey with other inmates established the San Quentin Drama Workshop where plays of Samuel Beckett and other playwrights were staged in the former gallows room of the prison. Cluchey was granted early parole in 1966 and in 1973 he was touring Europe with ex-con members of the workshop in a production of Beckett’s Endgame, and chanced to meet directly with the Nobel Prize winning author.

In 1977, Beckett chose to direct Cluchey in one of the playwright’s greatest plays, Krapp’s Last Tape. Cluchey’s solo performance of a man poignantly reflecting back upon his long life—with the aid of his trusty tape recorder—is regarded by many as this play’s definitive interpretation. And under Beckett’s supervision just prior to his death in 1989, Cluchey was filmed in this role for the PBS series Beckett Directs Beckett.

• Performance: Krapp’s Last Tape featuring Rick Cluchey
• Robinson Theatre
• Thursday, November 6, 2008
• Performance 7:30 pm / Talk Back following Performance
• Tickets $10, Students: $5
• Tickets are available at the UNF Ticket Box Office

This series is sponsored by Irish Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences.