| About Us | Degree Programs | Beckett Center | Faculty/Staff | News and Events | Contact Us |
Center for Studies in Beckett and Contemporary Theatre Practice
Current Events
Against Oppression - Samuel Beckett and "Catastrophe"
Session for High School Focus Day
Colorado State University
8th Annual Diversity Conference
September 23-25, 2008
Written by the Nobel prize-winner for literature, Samuel Beckett, an Irishman who lived his life in Paris, Catastrophe is a very short political play, addressing authoritarianism and the resilience of the human spirit. With live music and a stunning audio-visual presentation this is a memorable cross-cultural theatre project with a diverse group of performers and a talkback discussion. Presented both in Spanish and in English we believe this project is the first attempt to stage Beckett’s play for Hispanic audiences in Colorado and its first bi-lingual staging world-wide.
Photo: Bilingual Production of Samuel Beckett's Catastrophe, September 2007, Directed by Eric Prince
The Beckett Project
Presented by The Center for Studies in Beckett and Contemporary Theatre Practice
in collaboration with Bas Bleu Theatre Company
Directed by Dr. Laura Jones
Happy Days - October 22, 23, 24, 25, 7:30 p.m., October 26, 2:30 p.m., Bas Bleu Theatre Company, 401 Pine Street,
Rough for Theatre II and Play - October 29, 31, 7:30 p.m. and October 31, 10:30 p.m.
A Piece of Monologue and Ill Seen Ill Said - October 30, November 1, 7:30 p.m., November 2, 2:30 p.m.
Studio Theatre, University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington St, Fort Collins, Colorado
Single Tickets: $12, $7/CSU Students; Ticket Packages: $20 Happy Days at Bas Bleu & One Production at CSU, $10/Students Happy Days at Bas Bleu & One Production at CSU
Tickets available beginning August 1 at 970-491-4TIX, www.csutix.org & 970-498-8949, www.basbleu.org
Color, direction, quantity, intensity, movement and even the absence of light have long been known to have a major effect on our moods, our mental ability, and our general well-being. With The Beckett Project, Dr. Laura Jones and her theatrical colleagues at CSU and Bas Bleu Theatre Company will conduct creative research trials on the juxtaposition of light and dark in the staging of selected works by Nobel Prize-winning author Samuel Beckett. Dr. Jones pairs Rough for Theatre II with Play and A Piece of Monologue with her own adaptation of Beckett’s non-dramatic short story Ill Seen Ill Said. And Wendy Ishii, Bas Bleu’s artistic director, will be reprising her signature role as Winnie in the internationally critically-acclaimed CSU/Bas Bleu collaboration Happy Days, which is quintessentially Beckett – frightening yet absurdly funny. Audiences complete the final step in the creative process as they share their own reactions and reflections through blogs, post-show talk-backs, and panel discussions.
With the award of a Pharos Fund grant and the support of PDS Language Arts Facilitator Darren Marshall a special educational tour of Poudre District Junior and Senior High Schools is being planned for the Fall of 2008. The "Catastrophe" company will devise and stage a workshop production of the play accessible for all students but specifically inclusive of our Hispanic community in Fort Collins. The play has been translated into Spanish by Professor Jose Luis Suarez-Garcia and is presented in English and in Spanish, under the direction of Professor Eric Prince. The actors are of multicultural origins, featuring Fort Collins-based Latino actor and artist Sam Salas, Patricia Pineiro (from Galicia in Spain), and Gian Aparicio of Peru. Both Professors will introduce the project and help moderate an informal talkback with school audiences. The project will function as a cross cultural educational experience and address a number of goals in a dynamic way including : cultural participation, community understanding, modeling positive relationships (especially in a multicultural context), and promoting these forms of understanding by means of a unique and memorable "in school academic enrichment activity" It also of course brings young people into contact with one of the most gifted and challenging writers and artists of the twentieth century. A list of schools has been defined and a schedule for the tour will be finalized and publicized early in September.
Catastrophe – Catástrofe by Samuel Beckett
A Multicultural Theatre Experience for Poudre District Schools
Supported by The Bohemian Foundation and Colorado State University