* Design

As I have said earlier, I have become convinced that one varies from

Beckett's instructions at ones peril. It is not impossible but it must be done

carefully. Nowhere did this become a struggle as much as in the design of the set.

Beckett has described a very clear picture of the physical setting of the play: Gray

light, windows high on the back wall etc.

Initially I had thought about trying to set the play in an environment that

was in some way a strong contrast to the feeling of the play. To create a bright, sun-

lit room with a nice blond wooden floor and a gorgeous sunny day visible through

the windows. However as I began to think about the play more deeply and

especially in light of the venue being the Horace Mann theatre, I decided that it

would be stronger to go with something more similar to the gray room described by

Beckett.

It seemed to me that the Horace Mann theatre was already a set for

ENDGAME. So I was thinking in terms of stripping the space down and doing it in

the bare space that would result.

In the original "sunny" conception I was considering adding a piece of music

at the beginning and end of the show. I knew a Shostokovich piano prelude that

was perfect for the "sunny" feeling I was thinking of. However, when I gave up the

"sunny" idea I decided to not add any sound whatsoever.

Penny Wish's initial and over-arching instinct was to ignore anything that

was not directly called for by the action. She was confused (as I was) by my

conservatism in regards to exiting the bounds that the script set forth. This lead to a

great deal of discussion.