Ireland
Dead Centre
Beckett's Room, a play without actors, tells the story of the Paris apartment where writer Samuel Beckett lived with his partner Suzanne Dechevaux-Dumesnil during World War II.
SynopsisA story of Art and Resistance, the audience listen through headphones and gaze upon a spectacle of absence - the absence of bodies on stage focuses us more intently on their stories, on the world changing around us, and changed by us. The apartment where Samuel Beckett lived with his partner Suzanne during the Second World War is the setting for Beckett’s Room by Dead Centre. The characters are absent from the stage, and the spectators follow the story through voices and the “miraculous” movements of the objects present. It is a play that presents not only the role that the two characters played in the French Resistance, but also addresses all of the anonymous lives in Europe that were affected by the war.
Bush Moukarzel, Ben Kidd
Bush Moukarzel
Master of Philosophy in Psychoanalytic Studies at Trinity College Dublin. Co-artistic director and co-founder of the Irish theatre group Dead Centre. Author, director and actor in various Dead Centre productions such as »Souvenir« (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2012) and »LIPPY« (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2013), both by Bush Moukarzel, »(S)quark!« (New Theatre, Dublin, 2013), »Chekhov’s First Play« based on Anton Chekhov (Dublin Theatre Festival, 2015) and »Hamnet« based on William Shakespeare, Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel (Co-Production of Dead Centre and Abbey Theatre, Schaubühne, 2017). He worked with theatre companies such as Painted Filly Theatre, Rough Magic Theatre and Druid Theatre Company and toured extensively with the Pan Pan theatre company performing in »Oedipus Loves You« by Simon Doyle and Gavin Quinn (Dublin Theatre Festival, 2005), »The Idiots« by Lars von Trier (Dublin International Theatre Festival, 2007), »The Crumb Trail« by Gina Moxley (Forum Freies Theater Düsseldorf, 2008) and »The Rehearsal: Playing the Dane« after William Shakespeare (Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival, 2010). He appeared in various film and television productions such as »When Harvey Met Bob« (Direction: Nicholas Renton, 2010), »Ripper Street« (Direction: Tom Shankland, 2012), »Foyle’s War« (Direction: Stuart Orme, 2013), »Crisis Eile: Das Boot« (Direction: Charlie McCarthy, 2013) and »A Thousand Times Good Night« (Direction: Erik Poppe, 2013).
Ben Kidd
Born 1980 in Leeds. Studied English and Philosophy at Nottingham University, Professional Acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Directing at National Theatre Studio. Co-artistic director and co-founder of the Irish theatre group Dead Centre. Author and director in various Dead Centre productions such as »LIPPY« (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2013), »Chekhov’s First Play« based on Anton Chekhov (Dublin Theatre Festival, 2015) and »Hamnet« based on William Shakespeare, Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel, a co-production of Dead Centre and Abbey Theatre (Schaubühne, 2017). Other productions as a director include »Spring Awakening« by Frank Wedekind in a new adaptation by Anya Reiss (Headlong Theatre in London, 2014) and »In the Night Time« by Nina Segal (Gate Theatre in London, 2016).
Puppeteers ｜ Eugenia Genunchi, Cillian O’Donnachadha, Neasa Ní Chuanaigh, Hannah O’Reilly
Voices ｜ Sam/Brian Gleeson, Susan/Barbara Probst, Mme.Karl/Viviane de Muynck, Officer/Christoph Gawenda, Soldier/Moritz Gottwald, Geer/Valentijn Dhaenens, Lisl/Laurence Roothooft
Set and Puppetry Design ｜ Andrew Clancy
Puppetry creation ｜ Ciarán Bonner, Eugenia Genunchi, Jason Lambert
Lighting Design ｜ Stephen Dodd
Video Design ｜ José Miguel Jiménez
Sound Design and Music ｜ Kevin Gleeson
Assistant Sound Designer ｜ Jenny O’Malley
Costume Design ｜ Saileóg O’Halloran
Stage Manager ｜ Olivia Drennan
Assistant Stage Manager ｜ Muireann Ni Raghallaigh
Production Manager ｜ Gavin Kennedy
Video technician ｜ Sebastian Pizarro
Set Technicians ｜ Ciaran Murphy, Joe McNicholas
Motion Graphic Design ｜ Eavan Aiken
Assistant Set Design ｜ Florentina Burcea
Dramaturg ｜ Nicholas Johnson
Translation / Assistant Dramaturgs ｜ Céline Thobois, Peter Krauch
Accent Coach ｜ Andrea Ainsworth
Text by ｜ Dead Centre and Mark O’Halloran
Producer ｜ Tilly Taylor
Direction ｜ Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd
Beckett’s Room is a co-production between Dead Centre and the Gate Theatre. Originally presented as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. Supported by the Arts Council
Co-commissioned by Irish Arts Center and Warwick Arts Centre.
Supported by the Goethe Institute and Dublin City Council.
Development supported by Trinity Creative Challenge and the National Theatre Studio
Touring Supported by Culture Ireland.
Dead Centre was founded by Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd in Dublin in 2012. They have made 7 original projects in Dublin, which have toured throughout the world to venues such as BAM (New York), the Young Vic (London) and Schaubühne (Berlin), as well as many international festivals including Hong Kong, Brisbane, Paris and Milan. Author, director and actor in various Dead Centre productions such as »Souvenir« (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2012) and »LIPPY« (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2013), both by Bush Moukarzel, »(S)quark!« (New Theatre, Dublin, 2013), »Chekhov’s First Play« based on Anton Chekhov (Dublin Theatre Festival, 2015) and »Hamnet« based on William Shakespeare, Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel (Co-Production of Dead Centre and Abbey Theatre, Schaubühne, 2017).
CO-HOST
ORGANIZER
SUPPORT
COOPERATION
