Beckett Week 2019

6 - 9 November 2019
Minghella Building, Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading 

Join us this year for Beckett Week at the University of Reading! If you're a fan of Beckett's work, there will be something for you here. We will have world premieres of works by Creative Fellows Tim Parkinson and Robert McCrum, as well as a Beckett inspired performance by Rosetta Life that explores embodiment and fragility among stroke survivors. There is also the annual BIF (Beckett International Foundation) Seminar, and an exciting new international conference series: Beckett and Italy. For more information and to book, see the details below.

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ROBERT McCRUM
Wednesday 6 November
7.30 - 9.00 pm

This event will showcase the work of Robert McCrum, who has held a Beckett Creative Fellowship at the Centre across the last academic year. The evening will begin with a staged reading from Robert’s work-in-progress, Full Moon, a play he has been developing during his time at the Centre. It is directed by Michael Hoffman, and David Threlfall will play Beckett.

The performance will be followed by a presentation and Q&A, during which Robert will reflect on his own writing and his experience of discovering Beckett's works through the archives held here. The evening will conclude with a wine reception.

This event is free to all. Please book your ticket via this link. For more information about the event, please contact Professor Steven Matthews (Director of the Samuel Beckett Centre) by 1 November: [email protected].

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BECKETT & ITALY
Thursday 7 November - Friday 8 November
9.30 am - 6.00 pm

This two-day event is the first of an important two-conference international series that re-assesses the influence of Italian culture, literature, poetry, theatre, arts and cinema on Samuel Beckett’s work, and the impact this work has had on Italian culture.

A full programme for the conference is available here.

​For more information and to book, please click here and select your ticket(s) from the options. 

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TIM PARKINSON
Thursday 7 November
7.00 - 8.30 pm

Join us for the world premiere of Tim Parkinson's "string quartet 2019", performed by Plus Minus Ensemble. This exciting new work was composed during Tim's time as a Creative Fellow at the Centre. 

The event will include a Q&A session, during which Tim will reflect on his compositional processes, as well as the experience of exploring Beckett's works through the archive here. The evening will conclude with a wine reception.

This event is free to all. Please book your ticket via this link. For more information about the event, please contact Professor Steven Matthews (Director of the Samuel Beckett Centre) by 1 November: [email protected].

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ROSETTA LIFE
Friday 8 November
6.00 - 7.00 pm

Join us for an exciting and innovative performance of "This.Here" by Rosetta Life, an exploration of fragility and embodiment amongst stroke survivors. You can also book on to a Taster Session with Rosetta Life, hosted by the University of Reading, on Wednesday 6 November, 2.30 - 5.00 pm: 
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stroke-odysseys-tickets-76247744055.

Rosetta Life is a group of artists who aim to change the perception and stigma of illness and disability. They work with people living with life-limiting illness to shape and share their stories through movement, song, image, film and writing. 

Lucinda Jarrett and some of the performers from Rosetta Life will join us for a roundtable discussion about their initiative and performance on Saturday 9 November at 3.30pm, as part of the Beckett International Foundation Research Seminar. See below for details.

This performance event is free to all. Please book your ticket via this link. 

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BECKETT INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION RESEARCH SEMINAR
Saturday 9 November
10.30 am - 5.00 pm

Join us for the 31st annual Beckett International Foundation Research Seminar to explore a range of current research and debates in the field of Beckett Studies. As in previous years, speakers represent a mixture of research students, as well as established scholars, local and international. Each paper will be followed by 30 minutes of discussion.

See the programme below:

10.30 – 11.00:
Registration / Welcome

11.00 – 12.00:
Dirk Van Hulle (University of Oxford / University of Antwerp):
'Shakespeare in Beckett’s Library'

12.00 – 12.15:
Tea / Coffee Break

12.15 – 1.15:
Will Davies (University of Reading):
'War and the Everyday in Waiting for Godot'

1.15 – 2.15:
Lunch

2.15 – 3.15:
Laura Salisbury (University of Exeter):
'Between Can’t and Must: Beckett, Disabled Language and the Temporalities of Care'

3.15 – 3.30:
Tea / Coffee Break

3.30 – 5.00:
Roundtable with Lucinda Jarrett of Rosetta Life and some of the performers.
Chaired by Anna McMullan:
'"This.Here": An exploration of fragility and embodiment amongst stroke survivors'

For more information, please contact: Dr Mark Nixon: [email protected].
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This event is £30 per participant (£15 unwaged), including lunch and refreshments throughout the day. Please book your ticket by 2pm on Friday 1 November via this link. 

​We look forward to seeing you. 

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