S. Fischer Verlag, the German publisher of the late Samuel Beckett's plays, has shut down a production of "Waiting for Godot" in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
According to European press reports, the production was halted because director Philipp Kochheim cast two women as Estragon and Vladimir. Beckett's estate specifically prohibits his plays from being modified beyond what is written in the text and has been notably vigorous in its enforcement.
The press report noted that yet another "Godot" -- this one near Frankfurt -- was closed in December, also because a woman was cast.
Productions of "Godot" have also been shuttered from time to time in the U.S. In November 2002, Back Stage reported that an Equity mounting at the Nashville, Tenn.-based People's Branch Theatre truncated its run after Samuel French, which licenses the play stateside for the Beckett estate, learned that two local actresses were playing Vladimir and Estragon and issued a cease-and-desist order.
The standard rider for all Beckett productions reads as follows: "There shall be no additions, omissions, changes in the sex of the characters as specified in the text, or alterations of any kind of nature in the manuscript or presentation of the Play."
Brian Niece, the founding artistic director of People's Branch, defended his casting choices in writing, yet Georges Borchardt, the New York-based literary agent who represents the interests of the Beckett estate, was unmoved, telling Back Stage that it's all a matter of "what the playwright wanted." He stressed that while it's "not necessarily the belief" of the estate that actresses could never play Vladimir and Estragon, confusion would arise "because the actor or actress will always be perceived as being whatever sex he or she is" and "because the audience sees the program."
He did acknowledge that the Beckett estate might need to ameliorate the rider to make it more precise. "I think the language is already fairly clear, but there's no harm in making it clearer."