“One of the most notable and moving plays of our generation, a threnody of hope deceived and deferred but never extinguished; a play suffused with tenderness for the whole human perplexity; with phrases that come like a sharp stab of beauty” -The Times (London)

“[Godot is] among the most studied, monographed, celebrated and sent-up works of modern art, and perhaps as influential as any from the last century” Christopher Isherwood (The New York Times)

“One of the true masterpieces of the century” - Clive Barnes

The story revolves around two seemingly homeless men simply waiting for someone—or something—named Godot. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. Beckett’s play remains one of the most magical and beautiful allegories of our time.

Garry's Garbles I don't know how many people read my garbling here on each show.  But I like to jot things down anyway.  Life is hard.  It's an endless cycle of trying and failing, getting up and falling down, moving blindly into the unknown or walking boldly with your eyes wide open and your mind closed shut.  So much of what ETC has produced over the last several years seems to really align with my personal struggles and my personal desires, my true interests and the seeking of clarification.  We did not originally intend to produce WAITING FOR GODOT this year and if you know anything about my interest in the genre of Theatre of the Absurd, it is probably quite a shock that we are producing WAITING FOR GODOT at all.  But as I sit in rehearsals and then chat with our new director after everyone leaves, it dawns on me that this is such an opportunistic piece of art.  Well-crafted, brilliantly stated, and full of potential to connect.  In a world where more and more events and stories surface that really shape the absurdity of life, it seems a no-brainer to explore Beckett's adept and timeless tome of his own exploration.  Academically speaking, writers of this genre really wanted to challenge the notion of the theatrical form and revolt against the movement of Naturalism.  How much of the theatrical form could writers like Beckett, Ionesco, Pirandello, Genet and then Brecht strip away before we were no longer left with theatre.  What if actors could not move, could not speak? What if the magic was exposed to the audience? What if the plot was non-existent and dialogue and speech were strung together by non-sequitur babble?  Could a story still exist, could a connection still be made? There's no real way for any theatre to know what this play is truly about.  There's speculation and conjecture, opinion and whim, what Beckett says and what he doesn't say.  ETC likes to present to Chattanooga productions and opportunities that are new and unique.  I'm not sure our approach to GODOT does that, but I'm also reminded that sometimes the opportunities and productions we present might actually be new experiences for us, the artists.  I've never been a fan of GODOT, I thought ENDGAME was a much better example of what Beckett was trying to achieve, how elitist and narcissistic I was to believe that, when it was simply the fact that I found one play more accessible than the other.  So we present WAITING FOR GODOT with a cast and director who are being introduced to a legendary artist that shaped the theatre of today and an actor/producer who, as in his life, is realizing that he is not expert and still has lots to appreciate!

Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga is a 501c3 non-profit organization which serves to culturally enrich the Chattanooga landscape through compensated opportunities for artists and unique experiences for audiences.  Since 2007, ETC has presented more than 100 productions, toured locally and nationally, and partnered with several area non-profits in the creation of programming that benefits our great city.  Our goal is simple to create a living wage regional theatre that introduces the complexities and vastness of our craft through meaningful experiences that are reflective and personal for both the artist and audience.  

We are the Ensemble Theatre that CREATES, CONNECTS, COLLABORATES and CARES