Waiting for Godot

Vladimir. - Tout de même, tu ne vas pas me dire que ça (geste) ressemble au Vaucluse ! Il y a quand même une grosse différence.
Estragon. - Le Vaucluse ! Qui te parle du Vaucluse ?
Vladimir. - Mais tu as bien été dans le Vaucluse ?
Estragon. - Mais non, je n'ai jamais été dans le Vaucluse ! J'ai coulé toute ma chaude-pisse d'existence ici, je te dis ! Ici ! Dans la Merdecluse !
Vladimir. - Pourtant nous avons été ensemble dans le Vaucluse, j'en mettrais ma main au feu. Nous avons fait les vendanges, tiens, chez un nommé Bonnelly, à Roussillon.
Estragon (plus calme). -C'est possible. Je n'ai rien remarqué.
Vladimir. - Mais là-bas tout est rouge !
Estragon (excédé). - Je n'ai rien remarqué, je te dis !

Les Éditions de Minuit (page 86)


BECKETT AND ROUSSILLON
Universally recognized as one the greatest twentieth-century authors, Samuel Beckett, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969, is one of the world’s most frequently performed playwrights.
While Beckett himself needs no introduction, it is not generally known that he lived in the South of France for several years, a period that decisively influenced both his life and his later work. These were the bleak years of the German occupation, during which Beckett hid in Roussillon from the Gestapo, who pursued him because of his involvement with the resistance. The influence of these years in Roussillon, which has until now been under-estimated, was clearly stressed by James Knowlson (photograph opposite) in his authorized biography, Damned to Fame. In an article that he wrote for the Sunday Times of London, Knowlson, who was a good friend of Beckett, summarized the importance of this period as follows: "To those who are still baffled by his work, the story of Roussillon is one of the keys to understanding... Roussillon was both his salvation and his inspiration."
As chance would have it, the appearance of Knowlson’s biography coincided with the decision by the current owners of Beckett’s house in Roussillon to offer it for sale. This house, which is virtually unchanged since Beckett left it in 1945, is located on a property of nearly one hectare right at the entrance to Roussillon, a village known throughout the world for its ochre cliffs.
This coincidence led quite logically to the idea of making Roussillon a special meeting-place for Beckett’s admirers, particularly in view of the fact that, unlike Great Britain and the United States, France, his adopted homeland, does not yet have a site devoted to his memory.


THE ASSOCIATION
The “Maison Samuel Beckett” was created in May 1997 for the purpose, as stated in its founding document, of “gathering together the material, intellectual and human resources necessary for the creation and the management of a “Maison Samuel Beckett” in Roussillon-en-Provence.” Its principal goal has been, since its inception, to purchase the house where Beckett had lived and to open it to the public as a cultural center.
News of the association’s founding quickly spread throughout the world. Beckett scholars, who form a well-organized international group, supported this initiative from the beginning, believing that it corresponded to a real need to make available to the public a place that was so intimately associated with the memory of Beckett. Today, the “Maison Samuel Beckett” can take satisfaction in having achieved its goal of combining international renown with a firm anchoring in Roussillon itself. Its members are divided into two nearly equal halves : on the one hand, university professors (from the United States, England, Germany, Belgium, Holland and, of course, France) and, on the other, inhabitants of Provence, both temporary and permanent, from all walks of life.
The association benefits as well from the support of numerous individuals and organizations. Its advisory board includes Paul Auster, Edward Beckett, Henri Colpi, Israel Horovitz, Nancy Huston, James Knowlson, Jean Lacouture, Louis Le Brocquy, Anne Madden, Hubert Nyssen, Rufus, Tom Stoppard and Jean-Charles Tacchella. Its supporters among the various international Beckett organizations include the Beckett International Foundation at the University of Reading, the Samuel Beckett Society, and groups associated with American universities. This project has likewise been favorably received, on the national level, by the Ministère de la Culture-Direction du Livre and the Centre National du Livre and, on the local level, by the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles, the Conseil Régional, the Conseil Général, the Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon, the communes of Roussillon and Gordes, the Maison Jean Vilar, and, last but not least, by the Irish Embassy, which follows its progress with great interest.


THE PROJECT
After three years of work and reflection, the association has found a creative solution to the challenge of unifying the distinct goals of paying homage to Beckett and of organizing activities related to his work. It plans to achieve this by maintaining two different buildings that will serve related purposes. The house where Beckett lived will be transformed into a “Writer’s Home,” most of which will be open to the public. A second building, either to be purchased or constructed, will provide lodging for visiting writers and serve as the setting for a variety of cultural events.

- The “writer’s home”

Since the association does not have in its keeping any remnant of Beckett’s life in Roussillon (all of which is in the work itself), we have chosen this term in preference to “museum.” We propose to create -- in a house that has been restored as faithfully as possible (accounts of its appearance in 1942 having already been collected) -- a place for an evocation and interpretation of Beckett’s life and work that will emphasize the influence of Roussillon on one as well as on the other. A showcase for the center as a whole, Beckett’s house will allow its visitors -- who are likely to be numerous in view of the fact that Roussillon itself receives more than 300,000 visitors each year -- to discover Beckett through a display of documents that will include photographs, videos, posters, copies of manuscripts, and paintings. Its visitors will also have at their disposal a bookstore which will offer books both by and about Beckett as well as booklets published by the association itself.

- The writers’ residence/cultural center

While the “writer’s home” will serve as the showcase for the center as a whole, it is the activities presented in the second building that will make it a vital cultural center. The Writers’ Residence itself will clearly play a major role, since the presence of writers will allow for the creation of annual programs of cultural activities, including informal talks as well as meetings. Along with activities organized by visiting writers, the cultural center will offer filmed versions of plays (in cooperation with the Maison Jean Vilar, for example), lectures, exhibitions and theatrical performances (a small amphitheater is planned for the garden of the “writer’s home”), not to mention the possibility of eventual Beckett conferences. This building will also house a lending-library for books and videos.

- The summer festival

Apart from activities directly connected with Beckett’s house, the association has planned since ifs founding to organize a festival celebrating his work. The first performances (1999-2002) were coproduced with the annual “Soirées d’Été” festival in the neighboring village of Gordes and presented in the lovely setting of its Théâtre des Terrasses. Since 2003, this festival has been held in Roussillon’s own Parc du Conservatoire des Ocres et Pigments Appliqués. There have been two highlights in particular. In 2001, the association successfully arranged a new production of Oh les beaux jours directed by Arlette Reinerg and starring Tsilla Chelton (photograph opposite), who agreed to play the challenging role of Winnie for a single performance. In 2003, the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of En attendant Godot at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris, was beautifully celebrated with a performance of the play by Andonis Vouyoucas’ Théâtre Gyptis and a roundtable discussion that included eye-witness accounts of the powerful effect produced by the play in its original 1953 production.