So from time to time unheralded he would appear to read the sad tale through again and the long night away ... With never a word exchanged they grew to be as one.

 

Filmed in May 2021 at the Arcola Theatre in line with Covid restrictions, this production made an artistic virtue of necessity by exploring the formal possibilities of filmed theatre.

 

In Samuel Beckett's short play, a man listens to a tale of a painful memory from his past, until 'nothing is left to tell.' Beckett's stage directions instruct that both characters should be 'as alike in appearance as possible': actor Niall Buggy is doubled on screen, playing the roles of both Reader and Listener.

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The ghostly emptiness of the Arcola auditorium felt apposite for this stark, stripped-back work, written by the ultimate playwright of social isolation.

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Cast & Creative team:

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Reader: Niall Buggy

Listener: Niall Buggy

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Writer: Samuel Beckett

Director: Finlay Glen

Camera operator: Callum Ruddleston

Lighting designer: Jo Hunt

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