Both Jay and Rachel were becoming convinced that Hamm and Clov were

clowns on some level and this gave us some important clues in performing the

text. The exchanges between Hamm and Clov are more suggestive of vaudeville

turns than conversations. This led us to explore a speed and timing for the text that

was informed more by the sound and rhythm of the lines than the content. It also

suggested a direct and active relationship with the audience.

During this phase of the process, I was engaged in an internship at the Public

Theatre which made it difficult to attend all of our sessions. However, Jay and

Rachel kept meeting and working on the text. We would speak often but I was only

seeing the work occasionally.

Fortunately Penny Wish was designing the production that I was working on

at the Public so there were frequent opportunities to discuss the set.