ArtsEmerson Presents ON BECKETT Next Month

ArtsEmerson, Boston's leading presenter of contemporary world theater and film and the professional presenting and producing organization of Emerson College, is excited to welcome Tony Award-winning actor and master clown Bill Irwin to Boston for his solo stage piece On Beckett which will run six performances only from October 26 - 30, 2022 at the Emerson Paramount Center Robert J. Orchard Stage.

In On Beckett, Irwin explores a performer's relationship to the works of legendary playwright Samuel Beckett-widely regarded as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century-incorporating passages from various works by the Irish writer, including Texts for Nothing, The Unnamable, Watt and Waiting for Godot. On Beckett is produced by Octopus Theatricals and premiered at Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City on October 3, 2018.

Irwin's physical approach to the comic and tragic sides of Beckett's writing invites audiences to experience the writer's language as they never have before in this fun, surprising trek through the works of Beckett. In July, the Theatre Hall of Fame announced that Bill Irwin would be among its 2022 class of inductees; the 51st induction ceremony, produced by Terry Hodge Taylor, has been scheduled for November 14, 2022 at the Gershwin Theatre.

ArtsEmerson is also thrilled to announce that Bill Irwin is the 2022/2023 Fresh Sound Artist in Residence. Funded by Emerson College's World On Stage Fund - an endowment initiated and funded in part by the Trustees of the Fresh Sound Foundation in honor of Emerson Alumna Helen Rodger Cutherbert, class of 1911 - the Fresh Sound Artist residency is managed by ArtsEmerson in support of its ongoing commitment to give Emerson students access to the iconoclast contemporary theatre artists. Former Fresh Sound artists include Anne Bogart, Suzan-Lori Parks, Ayad Akhtar, Walter Mosley, Claudia Rankine, and Guillermo Calderon.

Bill Irwin's original stage works include The Regard of Flight, The Happiness Lecture, and Old Hats. He won Broadway's Best Actor Tony Award for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and picked up a second statue for Fool Moon (created with David Shiner) which earned four Tony nominations. His many television credits include Elmo's World (as Mr. Noodle) and Legion (Mr. Loudermilk), and his film credits range from Rachel Getting Married to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. His many awards include the MacArthur Foundation's "genius" grant.

"On Beckett is an invite - it's a personal invitation - to deep dive into the writing of a man whose work I love AND hate - Mr. Samuel Beckett," explains Bill Irwin. "I think On Beckett is a good first entry to the wild and beautiful content that is Mr. Beckett's writing - and it speaks also to those of us who read and re-visit the language often. It's an actor's - and it's a clown's - look at a great writer's language. I look forward to bringing my take on Mr. Beckett's writing to Boston."

"ArtsEmerson has a deep history with the work of Samuel Beckett," says ArtsEmerson Executive Director David C. Howse. "We've presented a classic production of his signature play, Waiting for Godot, but we've also showcased radical interpretations as well, such as Here All Night, which turned the playwright's words into music, or pairing three short works together in one intense, riveting piece performed by Lisa Dwan. Bill Irwin's On Beckett does something entirely new, providing a window into an actor's close relationship with Beckett's words. What struck me most about the piece was how Irwin's journey is delightful and engaging at every turn, and how well it works for both the most dedicated Beckett expert and newcomers. This show will surprise you in the best possible way and I look forward to bringing it to Boston."

Tickets for On Beckett performances go on sale on Sunday, September 11, 2022 and may be purchased 24/7 at ArtsEmerson.org, or by calling 617-824-8400 (Tue-Sat from 12:00PM ET - 6:00PM ET). The Paramount Center Box Office (559 Washington Street, Boston) is open for walk-up service Thu-Sat from Noon - 6:00 PM ET. Tickets start at $25. Groups of 10+ attending a performance save up to 30%.

Thanks to generous support from Rockland Trust, a limited number of $10 Mobile Rush tickets will be available at 10:00 AM ET each performance day on a first-come, first-served basis, exclusively through the TodayTix mobile app. For more information, please click on "General Public'' when you visit ArtsEmerson's Offers web page.

To post a comment, you must register and login.