Staging Beckett in London

Staging Beckett in London presents the first dedicated performance history of Samuel Beckett’s drama in London theatre culture.

This open access volume argues that Samuel Beckett has held a long and varied relationship with London and its theatres. Although Dublin and Paris hold obvious connections with Beckett’s life, London is the city that has proved the most consistent home for his drama, the origin for many of his major collaborations and where his legacy continues to flourish today. By tracing these performance histories through original findings in international archives, interviews with key practitioners and framing the performances in their historical and cultural contexts, this history offers new readings and insights into productions of Beckett’s plays in London.

From the Royal Court to the National Theatre and from Riverside Studios to the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London’s major, marginal, subsidised and commercial venues have staged Beckett’s drama since Waiting for Godot’s English language premiere in 1955. Beckett collaborated with many significant directors, designers and actors, such as Peter Hall, Jocelyn Herbert and Billie Whitelaw, while high-profile stars, including Fiona Shaw and Ian McKellen, have played their part in the proliferation of his work since his death. This rich performance history comprises world premieres and festivals of Beckett’s 19 stage plays against a historical backdrop of key cultural and global events, from the Lord Chamberlain’s censorship of British theatre to Covid-19 lockdowns and re-openings.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under aCC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the University of Reading Library.

Matthew McFrederick Lecturer in Theatre and the Co-Director of the Beckett International Foundation at the University of Reading, UK.