Sian Phillips Will Lead Beckett Double Bill FOOTFALLS & ROCKABY at Jermyn Street Theatre

A rocking chair creaks. Footsteps echo down a corridor, tracing and retracing the same path. An old woman hears a voice from beyond - a voice that sounds eerily like her own. In this pair of miniature masterpieces, Beckett dazzlingly explores his obsessions with age, memory, and the passing of time.

This November, Jermyn Street Theatre continues its association with the work of Samuel Beckett with the 45th anniversary staging of his play Footfalls and the 40th of Rockaby. The productions see star of stage and screen, Siân Phillips (Under Milk Wood - National Theatre, I Claudius - BBC), reunited with the great Irish playwright whom she first met in 1966 when he directed her in his first work for television, Eh Joe.

Phillips is joined by Charlotte Emmerson (The Postman Always Rings Twice - West Yorkshire Playhouse & West End, The Cherry Orchard - National Theatre) in these two short plays directed by Richard Beecham (84 Charing Cross Road - Cambridge Arts Theatre and tour, Broken Glass - Watford Palace Theatre). Set and costume designs are by Simon Kenny, lighting is by Ben Ormerod and sound design is by Adrienne Quartley.

Following Beckett's All That Fall and the Beckett Triple Bill, Jermyn Street Theatre has a history of staging highly acclaimed productions of the playwright's work and this autumn, the theatre uncovers these two rarely performed gems.

Following the Jermyn Street Theatre run, Footfalls and Rockaby will transfer to the Ustinov Studio Theatre Royal Bath from 24 November to 4 December (details here).

Artistic Director of Jermyn Street Theatre, Tom Littler says -

"We are delighted to welcome Dame Sian Phillips and Charlotte Emmerson to perform these two extraordinary plays by the master miniaturist, Samuel Beckett. The running time is short, but they will live long in the memory. It is a pleasure to share the work with the audiences of Theatre Royal Bath."