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Samuel Beckett

Birth Place: Foxrock, County Dublin, IRELAND

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BIO

Samuel Beckett is widely regarded as one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century. Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1906, Beckett attended Trinity College Dublin and later taught at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He wrote his first novel, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, in 1932, but it was never published during his lifetime.



Beckett's first major play, Waiting for Godot, premiered in Paris in 1953 and is now considered a seminal work of the Theatre of the Absurd. The play's two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for the eponymous Godot, who never arrives. The play's themes of existentialism, meaninglessness, and the human condition struck a chord with audiences and critics alike. Waiting for Godot has since been performed countless times around the world and has been translated into over 20 languages.

Beckett's other major plays include Endgame (1957), Krapp's Last Tape (1958), and Happy Days (1961). These works continue to be studied and performed today, and have cemented Beckett's reputation as a master of modernist drama.

In addition to his plays, Beckett also wrote a number of novels, including Molloy (1951), Malone Dies (1951), and The Unnamable (1953). These works are known for their experimental style, complex themes, and exploration of the limits of language.

Beckett was also a prolific writer of poetry, essays, and short stories. His work often dealt with themes of alienation, suffering, and the search for meaning in a world that seems to offer none. Beckett's writing is marked by its spare, minimalist style, which he developed in response to what he saw as the excesses of modern literature.

Beckett's influence on the arts cannot be overstated. His work has inspired countless writers, artists, and filmmakers, and his ideas about the nature of existence and the human condition continue to resonate with audiences today.

Despite his success as a writer, Beckett was notoriously private and reclusive. He rarely gave interviews and shunned publicity. He spent the last years of his life in a nursing home in Paris, where he died in 1989 at the age of 83.

Beckett's most recent work is his posthumously published novella, Echo's Bones, which was released in 2014. The work was originally intended to be the final chapter of his novel, Murphy, but was cut by his publisher at the time. The novella tells the story of a man who is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife, and explores themes of memory, loss, and the nature of reality.

Productions

Waiting for GodotWaiting for Godot
 
[Broadway, 2025]
Playwright
Krapp's Last Tape
 
[Off-Broadway, 1986]
Director

Writing

Play/ The Lover
Playwright
Beckett/Albee
Playwright
Endgame
Playwright
Happy Days
Playwright
Playwright
Playwright
Endgame
Playwright
Happy Days
Playwright
Endgame
Playwright
Playwright
Endgame
Playwright
I'll Go On
Source Material
Mercier & Camier
Source Material
Endgame
Playwright
Happy Days
Playwright
Playwright
Rockaby
Playwright
Embers
Playwright
Happy Days
Playwright
Endgame
Playwright
Happy Days
Playwright
All That Fall
Playwright
Beckett Shorts
Playwright
Playwright

Awards and Nominations

Olivier Awards - 2005 - Best Revival

Samuel BeckettEndgame


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1984 - Special Citation

Samuel Beckett


winner
Obie Awards - 1984 - Playwriting

Samuel Beckett, Ohio Impromptu


winner
Obie Awards - 1984 - Playwriting

Samuel Beckett, What Where


winner
Obie Awards - 1984 - Playwriting

Samuel Beckett, Catastrophe


winner
Obie Awards - 1984 - Playwriting

Samuel BeckettPocket


winner
Obie Awards - 1973 - Best Foreign Play

Samuel Beckett, Not I


winner
Obie Awards - 1964 - Best Play

Samuel Beckett Play


winner
Obie Awards - 1962 - Best Foreign Play

Samuel Beckett, Happy Days


winner
Obie Awards - 1960 - Distinguished Play

Samuel Beckett, Krapp's Last Tape


winner
Obie Awards - 1958 - Best Foreign Play

Samuel Beckett, Endgame


winner
Evening Standard Awards - 1955 - Most Controversial Play

Samuel BeckettWaiting for Godot

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News


Stratford Festival 2026 Season Goes On Sale Saturday Photo
Stratford Festival 2026 Season Goes On Sale Saturday
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 8, 2026

Tickets for the Stratford Festival's highly anticipated 2026 season go on sale this Saturday, allowing audiences to secure their seats for a year of theatrical magic.
Washington Stage Guild’s 40th Season Continues With HAPPY DAYS Photo
Washington Stage Guild’s 40th Season Continues With HAPPY DAYS
by Stephi Wild - Dec 23, 2025

The Washington Stage Guild will continue its 2025-2026 season with a return to famed playwright Samuel Beckett and his 1961 classic Happy Days. Learn more here!
SPANISH ORANGES Will Make World Premiere in London in 2026 Photo
SPANISH ORANGES Will Make World Premiere in London in 2026
by Stephi Wild - Dec 19, 2025

The world premiere of Spanish Oranges, the debut play by Alba Arikha, Samuel Beckett’s Goddaughter, with direction from Myriam Cyr, will take place at The Playground Theatre in West London next year. 
Center Theatre Group Creates New Works Development Pipeline Photo
Center Theatre Group Creates New Works Development Pipeline
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 8, 2025

Center Theatre Group has in place a new developmental pipeline for plays and musicals, created by Snehal Desai, CTG’s Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director.
FIRST LOVE is Coming to POPArt Theatre in December Photo
FIRST LOVE is Coming to POPArt Theatre in December
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 28, 2025

First Love will be presented at POPArt Theatre, performed by William Harding, and directed by Qondiswa James. “...for the first time in my life... I had to contend with a feeling which gradually assumed, to my dismay, the dread name of love…”
Matthew Kelly and George Costigan Lead New Production of WAITING FOR GODOT at The Cit Photo
Matthew Kelly and George Costigan Lead New Production of WAITING FOR GODOT at The Citz
by Stephi Wild - Nov 14, 2025

Matthew Kelly and George Costigan star as Estragon and Vladimir in a new production of Waiting for Godot, co-produced with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Octagon Theatre Bolton.
New Associate Directors Revealed By Royal Exchange Theatre Photo
New Associate Directors Revealed By Royal Exchange Theatre
by Stephi Wild - Nov 6, 2025

Selina Cartmell, Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre, has announced that Emma Baggott and Katie Greenall will join the company as Associate Directors in 2026-2027.
Royal Court Theatre Reveals 70th Anniversary Season Photo
Royal Court Theatre Reveals 70th Anniversary Season
by Stephi Wild - Oct 28, 2025

The announcement details an entire year of programming for 2026, with 12 productions across the venue's two historic stages, alongside new national projects and partnerships to drive investment and ambition for the next decade of new writing in the UK.
Full Cast Set For Site-Specific Revival of Jim Cartwright's A CHRISTMAS FAIR Photo
Full Cast Set For Site-Specific Revival of Jim Cartwright's A CHRISTMAS FAIR
by Stephi Wild - Oct 23, 2025

Full casting has been announced for the immersive, site-specific revival of Jim Cartwright's festive play, A Christmas Fair, produced by Oldham Coliseum Theatre in association with Not Too Tame.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Samuel Beckett written?

Samuel Beckett has written 23 shows including Embers (Playwright), Play/ The Lover (Playwright), Krapp's Last Tape/ The Zoo Story (Playwright), Happy Days (Playwright), Oh! Calcutta! (Material), Jack MacGowran in the Works of Samuel Beckett (Material), Happy Days/ Act Without Words 1 (Playwright), Krapp's Last Tape/ Not I (Playwright), Mercier & Camier (Source Material), Play and Other Plays (Playwright), Samuel Beckett's Ohio Impromptu, Catastrophe, What Where (Playwright), Rockaby (Playwright), Endgame (Playwright), All Strange Away (Playwright), I'll Go On (Source Material), Happy Days (Playwright), Texts for Nothing (Playwright), Krapp's Last Tape (Playwright), Beckett/Albee (Playwright), Beckett Shorts (Playwright), Waiting for Godot (Playwright), All That Fall (Playwright), Endgame (Playwright).

What awards has Samuel Beckett been nominated for?

Samuel Beckett has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. These include Best Revival at the Olivier Awards for "Endgame," Special Citation at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, and multiple nominations for Playwriting at the Obie Awards for plays such as "Ohio Impromptu," "What Where," "Catastrophe," and "Pocket." He has also received nominations for Best Foreign Play and Best Play at the Obie Awards for plays like "Not I," "Play," and "Happy Days," as well as a Distinguished Play nomination for "Krapp's Last Tape." Additionally, Beckett's play "Endgame" was nominated for Best Foreign Play at the Obie Awards, and "Waiting for Godot" was recognized as the Most Controversial Play at the Evening Standard Awards.

What awards has Samuel Beckett won?

Samuel Beckett has won several awards throughout his career. These include a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, Playwriting awards from the Obie Awards for "Ohio Impromptu," "What Where," "Catastrophe," and "Pocket," a Best Foreign Play award from the Obie Awards for "Not I," a Best Play award from the Obie Awards for "Play," a Best Foreign Play award from the Obie Awards for "Happy Days," a Distinguished Play award from the Obie Awards for "Krapp's Last Tape," a Best Foreign Play award from the Obie Awards for "Endgame," and a Most Controversial Play award from the Evening Standard Awards for "Waiting for Godot."

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