Catastrophe
Catastrophe Author: Samuel Beckett
First Performance: 1982, Avignon
Published: 1984
First English Translation: 1984
Genre: Drama in 1 act; French prose
Setting: Empty theatre, c.1980
Cast: 2m, 1f
A Director (D) and his Assistant (A) are discussing the Protagonist (P), a figure dressed in black wearing a wide-brimmed hat, standing motionless on a plinth on stage. D insists that the black gown should be removed, and P is revealed to be wearing dingy pyjamas. The hat is also removed, and he is made to clasp his hands. P submits to everything inertly but begins to shiver with the cold. D protests that he can see P's face, and A forces his head down. When D demands more nudity, A rolls up P's trouser legs and makes a note to whiten the flesh. Orders are now given to light only P's...
[The entire page is 303 words long]
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