Inside Iowa State

Inside Archives

Submit news

Send news for Inside to inside@iastate.edu, or call (515) 294-7065. See publication dates, deadlines.

About Inside

Inside Iowa State, a newspaper for faculty and staff, is published by the Office of University Relations.

April 27, 2007

ISU Theatre closes season with Godot

by Dave Gieseke, LAS Public Relations

Seinfeld was the television show about nothing. In the theater, that distinction belongs to Waiting for Godot.

Jillian Carstensen, student director of the ISU Theatre production of the famous Samuel Beckett absurdist play, said that has been a challenge.

"Many people think the absurdist genre is about nothing. But if that's the case, then why was this play so popular, if it was about nothing?" said the senior performing arts major. "My goal has been to try to have Waiting for Godot make sense - when it really doesn't make sense."

ISU Theatre will present Waiting for Godot in the Memorial Union Maintenance Shop Thursday, April 26, through Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. A Sunday matinee on April 29 begins at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and are available at the door.

Waiting for Godot opens with two tramps waiting by a sickly looking tree for the arrival of M. Godot. They quarrel, make up, contemplate suicide, try to sleep, eat a carrot and gnaw on some chicken bones. Two other characters, a master and a slave, appear to say that M. Godot will not come today, and the two tramps resume their vigil by the tree.

"I'm more of a 'stay within the box' type of person," Carstensen said. "This play has allowed me to think outside the box."

The cast includes Jason Pollard, Ellis Wells, Jeff Mason, Michael Rubke and Jack Sanders. The remainder of the student production team is Katy Bird, costume design; Will Dean, lighting design; Amanda Mullen, scene design; Kim Chelf, stage manager; and Ben Howell, technical director.

Waiting for Godot is ISU Theatre's final production of the 2006-07 season.

Summary

ISU Theatre presents Waiting for Godot April 26-28 at the Memorial Union Maintenance Shop. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students.