The Guthrie Theater announced the cast and creative team for “Waiting for Godot,” Samuel Beckett’s groundbreaking tragicomedy, in a press release from the theater. The production, directed by Artistic Director Joseph Haj, will mark the play’s first Guthrie staging in more than 50 years.
Previews begin Saturday, September 12, with the show officially opening Thursday, September 17. The run continues through Sunday, October 11 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single and group tickets are available exclusively through the Guthrie Box Office or online at guthrietheater.org, with accessibility services including ASL-interpreted, audio-described and open-captioned performances offered on select dates.
Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner David Strathairn, known for “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Lincoln,” will make his Guthrie debut as Vladimir. Actor and director John Carroll Lynch, known for “Fargo” and “Zodiac” and a veteran of Guthrie productions throughout the 1990s, returns to the theater to play Estragon.
“I’ve wanted to direct ‘Waiting for Godot’ for 20 years, and it finally feels like the right moment,” Haj said. “Samuel Beckett crafted this piece in the ashes of World War II, when the old order had collapsed and no new order had yet arrived to take its place. ‘Waiting for Godot’ is one of the most important plays of the 20th century, forever changing conceptions of modern drama, jettisoning conventional plot, utilizing a circular structure and employing tools of both Vaudeville and poetry in its search for meaning and grace.”
Beckett wrote “Waiting for Godot” in French in 1948, and it premiered in Paris in 1953. The English translation reached the U.K. in 1955 before moving to Broadway in 1956. The play was last produced at the Guthrie in 1973, featuring Larry Gates as Vladimir, Bernard Behrens as Estragon and Peter Michael Goetz as Pozzo.
The story follows two companions, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait beneath a lonely tree on a country road for the mysterious Godot, filling their time with questions about purpose and meaning. Beckett’s tragicomedy blends wit and poignant dialogue to explore what it means to keep waiting, and keep showing up, even when nothing seems to change.
The full cast also includes Jim Lichtscheidl as Lucky, William Sturdivant as Pozzo and J. Antonio Teodoro, making his Guthrie debut, as A Boy. The creative team includes scenic designer Marion Williams, costume designer Trevor Bowen, lighting designer Christopher Akerlind and sound designer Darron L West, along with resident dramaturg Carla Steen and movement director Carl Flink.
The Guthrie will hold post-play discussions following select performances, including Sunday, September 20, Wednesday, September 23, Sunday, September 27, Tuesday, September 29 and Saturday, October 10. Accessible performances are scheduled throughout the run, with full details available through the theater’s box office.
Single tickets range from $27 to $91, with handling fees included. Group tickets require a minimum of 15 people. The Guthrie noted its Box Office is the only official and secure source for tickets and that it cannot guarantee the validity of tickets purchased elsewhere.
