On Beckett

The Old Globe Adds
the Critically Acclaimed Production
On Beckett,
Conceived and Performed
by Tony Award Winner Bill Irwin,
to Its 2022 Season for
Six Performances Only!

On Beckett Plays July 14–17, 2022
with the Opening on Friday, July 15, 2022

Tickets Go On Sale on June 3, 2022

PHOTO EDITORS: Photos of the Globe’s production of On Beckett can be found here.

SAN DIEGO (January 28, 2022) — The Old Globe announced today that it will present On Beckett, conceived and performed by Bill Irwin (Broadway’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 2005 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play; Waiting for Godot), as part of its 2022 Season. The critically acclaimed production, which explores the works of Samuel Beckett, will play for six performances only on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Performances begin July 14 and run to July 17, 2022, with the opening set for Friday, July 15. Single tickets go on sale June 3 and will be available at www.TheOldGlobe.org.

Bill Irwin can’t escape Samuel Beckett. He has spent a lifetime captivated by the Irish writer’s language. In this intimate 90-minute evening, Irwin will explore a performer’s relationship to Beckett, mining the physical and verbal skills acquired in his years as a master clown and Tony Award–winning actor. Irwin’s approach to the comic, the tragic, to every side of Beckett’s work—including Waiting for Godot, Texts for Nothing, and more—will allow audiences to experience the language in compelling new ways. Whether you’re encountering the Nobel Prize winner’s writing for the first time, or building on a body of Beckett knowledge, this dynamic showcase is not to be missed.

The New York Times named the Off Broadway run of On Beckett a Critic’s Pick and said the production was “captivating… radiant, live theater.” New York magazine raved, “A delicious piece of theater… a playful, intimate experiment conducted by a master practitioner… utterly delightful.” And The Daily Beast exclaimed, “Near-90 minutes of pleasure… Irwin’s physical comedy is delicious… a brilliant gateway to understanding [Beckett].”

“Bill Irwin is an original. Actor, director, writer, thinker, and of course baggy-pants clown: there’s no one quite like him,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “He is also one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the work of Samuel Beckett, one of the titans of modern drama. It is a signal honor and a special thrill to welcome Bill to The Old Globe with On Beckett, his hilarious, informative, and inspiring meditation on his years-long artistic conversation with this writer. It’s a unique evening of theatre, one of the most memorable in my lifetime of theatregoing, and I can’t wait to share it with San Diego.”

The creative team for On Beckett includes set design by Charlie Corcoran, costume design by Martha Hally, lighting design by Michael Gottlieb, and sound design by M. Florian Staab, and is produced by Octopus Theatricals.

On Beckett was originally developed at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. The production premiered Off Broadway in 2018 at Irish Repertory Theatre and received a special Lortel Award for Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience. In addition, Bill Irwin received a 2018–2019 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play.

On Beckett will play on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park (1363 Old Globe Way). Performances run July 14–17, 2022, with the official press opening on Friday, July 15 at 8:00 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, July 15 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, July 16 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 17 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Single tickets will go on sale to the public on June 3, 2022 at 12:00 noon. An exclusive pre-sale for Old Globe subscribers and donors will begin Friday, February 11 at 12:00 noon. Tickets start at $30. For additional information, visit www.TheOldGlobe.org.

The Old Globe continues to prioritize the safety of its audiences, artists, and staff. All patrons who attend the On Beckett will be required to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and present proof of vaccination, or provide proof of the negative results of a COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering the theatre. Masks are required at all times while indoors. For our full COVID-19 Policy, please visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/covid-19-policy.

Financial support for The Old Globe is provided by The City of San Diego. The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund provides leadership support for The Old Globe’s year-round activities.

Bios and photos of all participants can be found at www.TheOldGlobe.org/Press-Room.

The Tony Award–winning The Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional not-for-profit regional theatres. Now in its 87th year, the Globe is San Diego’s flagship performing arts institution, and it serves a vibrant community with theatre as a public good. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and the Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 16 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages, including its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people annually attend Globe productions and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Its nationally prominent Arts Engagement Department provides an array of participatory programs that make theatre matter to more people in neighborhoods throughout the region. Humanities programs at the Globe and around the city broaden the community’s understanding of theatre art in all its forms. The Globe also boasts a range of new play development programs with professional and community-based writers, as well as the renowned The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Numerous world premieres—such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!—have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

Octopus Theatricals (Producer) Founded by creative producer Mara Isaacs, Octopus Theatricals collaborates with artists and organizations to foster an expansive range of compelling theatrical works for local and global audiences. They eschew boundaries—aesthetic, geopolitical, institutional—and thrive on a nimble and rigorous practice. Current projects include Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell (Broadway, eight Tony Awards including Best Musical; Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album); (…Iphigenia), a new opera by Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding; Social! Dance Club, conceived by Steven Hoggett, Christine Jones, and David Byrne; Dreaming Zenzile by Somi Kakoma; Up in Arms, created by Anna-Maria Nabirye and Annie Saunders; Theatre for One (in person and virtual); and many more. Octopus Theatricals is also home to the Producer Hub, an online resource supporting independent producers in the experimental and performing arts sectors. www.octopustheatricals.com.

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