'Sounding Beckett': A Musical Pairing For Three Of Samuel Beckett's 'Ghost Plays'

For 10 nights in September, three of Samuel Beckett’s compelling “ghost plays” will be paired with original compositions by contemporary composers. The world-premiere production, entitled, Sounding Beckett, is comprised of the famous Irish playwright's one-acts, Footfalls, Ohio Impromptu and Catastrophe. Each play is followed by a composition in direct response to the material.

The production features award-winning actors Philip Goodwin, Ted van Griethuysen, Holly Twyford, and Kathleen Chalfant with compositions by Chester Biscardi, Laura Schwendinger, David Glaser, Laura Kaminsky, John Halle and Scott Johnson. It is directed by Joy Zinoman (founding director of The Studio Theater in Washington D.C.) The music will be performed by the Cygnus Ensemble.

Beckett, who many consider the greatest playwright of the 20th century, captures an essential spirit of the modern age. He shows us that in the midst of nothingness, a spark of life may be found, even if it’s fleeting. We are eager to hear how these composers will embody the alienation, emptiness, confusion, absurdity and dark humor that Beckett writes to relieve us, if only for a moment or two, from the impossibility of life.

Sounding Beckett will run September 14 - 23 at the Classic Stage Company in Manhattan.