Samuel Beckett’s writings are re-imagined for the stage
The Montana-based Nervous Theatre company, a “nomadic theatrical collective” is coming to Boston to produce an intimate, 30 minute version of Samuel Beckett’s “Texts for Nothing.” Audiences will be gathered around a single performer who is contemplating existence. According to a media release, the show was developed by Boston actor Doug Lockwood, who works as an associate professor at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and founding artistic director of Nervous Theatre Connor Berkompas. Lockwood is also Berkompas’ former professor, and directing him felt like “a natural progression.”
“At the height of lockdown, Doug and I found ourselves drawn to this short prose collection,” said Berkompas. “This project is the direct result of our year-long collaboration, distilling Beckett’s sprawling text into an unrelenting monologue for a single performer.”
Lockwood said that working on “Texts for Nothing” was like “creating a kind of strange poetic puzzle. After months and months of Zoom rehearsals with Connor, mysteriously it now makes sense to me.”
He said of Berkompas:
“Connor is a brilliant director, and I trust him implicitly: he challenges me in all the ways I need to be challenged as an actor, and I feel lucky to be working with someone who pushes me to be better.”
The production was made possible through a Berklee Faculty Fellowship.
“Texts for Nothing” will be presented January 20-February 6 in the basement studio of The Boston Conservatory Theater at 31 Hemenway St. Performances run Thursday-Sunday, with start times of 8pm, 9pm and 10pm each night. There will be a limit of 12 seats sold for each performance. There will be no late seating due to the intimate nature of the staging. Run time: 30 minutes. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for Berklee students, faculty, and staff.
To purchase tickets, visit this link.
Shira Laucharoen is a reporter based in Boston. She currently serves as the assistant director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. In the past she has written for Sampan newspaper, The Somerville Times, Scout Magazine, Boston Magazine, and WBUR.
