Scribd
Upload
2 views20 pages

Week 11

Uploaded by

aysen7281
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2 views20 pages

Week 11

Uploaded by

aysen7281
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 20

Teaching Drama

Sample Activities
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
• Who/What is Godot?
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Vladimir (Didi): More intellectual and reflective than Estragon. Thinks about time, memory,
suffering, and religion. Often cares for Estragon. His anxiety contrasts with his desire to find
meaning.
Estragon (Gogo): Vulnerable, forgetful, emotional, and more focused on physical discomfort
(e.g., his boots). He relies on Vladimir for support, forming a co-dependent relationship.
Pozzo: A loud, self-important man who initially appears as a master. He commands Lucky with
cruelty. Later in the play, he returns blind and helpless, revealing the reversal of power.
Lucky: Pozzo’s silent servant who carries his master’s bags. When he speaks, it is a long,
fragmented monologue. Represents suffering, the burden of thought, and human endurance.
The Boy: A quiet messenger who appears to say that Mr. Godot will not come “today.” He may
symbolize hope, divine delay, or the future.
• Godot: A mysterious figure who never appears. He is awaited by Vladimir and Estragon but
may represent God, meaning, salvation, or simply uncertainty.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
• The setting of Waiting for Godot is stark and minimal: a desolate
country road with a single, leafless tree and a low mound, all under the
dimming light of evening. A barren and almost timeless landscape
with no buildings, landmarks, or changes in scenery.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
• The setting reflects the characters’ emotional and existential isolation.
With no buildings, landmarks, or changes in scenery, the setting
creates a feeling of suspension and stillness—perfectly mirroring the
play’s themes of waiting, uncertainty, and the absurdity of human
existence. The sparse environment invites symbolic interpretation,
with the tree often seen as a sign of hope, death, or the passage of
time.
The Synopsis
• written in French in 1948–49 and first performed in 1953, is a landmark of
modern theatre and a key example of the Theatre of the Absurd.
• two characters wait on a desolate country road beside a bare tree for a
mysterious figure named Godot—someone they believe will give them
direction or purpose. They are uncertain of who Godot is, whether they are
in the right place, or if Godot will ever arrive.
• As they wait, they engage in repetitive dialogue, absurd routines, and
existential reflections. They encounter Pozzo, a pompous man, and Lucky,
his mistreated servant, whose strange and symbolic presence adds to the
surreal atmosphere. In both acts, a boy arrives with a message: Godot will
not come today, but will surely come tomorrow.
• The play ends much like it begins—Vladimir and Estragon still waiting,
unsure, but unable (or unwilling) to leave.
Warm-up
• Suggestions?
Play-Relevant Dialogue Creation
Dialogue Creation
• "Two people are waiting for a bus that never arrives."
• Create a short dialogue between the two people in 5 minutes. Afterward, share
a few of the dialogues with the class.
Main Activities
• Suggestions?
Main Activities
Absurd Theatre Role Reversal
• Choose a scene from the play and act out/rewrite it in reverse (e.g.,
Estragon becomes logical, Vladimir becomes impatient).
Character Hot Seat
• One student sits in the "hot seat" as Estragon, Vladimir, Pozzo, or Lucky,
others ask questions (in character or as themselves).
Existential Café
• Set up the classroom like a Parisian café, each table gets a prompt related to
existentialism (e.g., “Nothing to be done” – Is this hope or despair?).
Mantle of the Expert
Readers’ Theatre
Socratic Seminar
A Socratic Seminar is a student-centered, dialogue-based discussion
strategy. Instead of debating or trying to win arguments, students
collaboratively explore complex ideas and questions raised by a text.
• Asking open-ended questions
• Listening actively and respectfully
• Supporting ideas with evidence from the text
• Building on each other’s responses
• "The goal is not to debate, but to explore the meaning."
Opening Questions (Text-Based)
• What does the phrase “Nothing to be done” suggest about the
characters’ worldview?
• Why do you think Beckett chose to have characters wait for someone
who never arrives?
• In what ways does the dialogue reflect the play’s absurdist nature?
Core Questions (Interpretive)
• Do you think Waiting for Godot is ultimately about hope or despair?
Why?
• How does the relationship between Estragon and Vladimir reflect
human interdependence?
• Is the play meaningless — or is that its meaning?
Closing Question (Reflective)
• If you were to direct a modern version of Waiting for Godot, what
setting or context would you choose to keep the meaning relevant
today?
Post-Seminar Reflection
• What was one idea that challenged your thinking?
• What theme or line from the play will stay with you?
• How did this discussion shape your understanding of absurdist
theatre?
Post-Drama Activities
• Suggestions?
Post-Drama Activities
• End-writing
• Drama circles
• Process drama
• Acrostic poem writing

You might also like