09 Jan–10 Jan
How It Is – A Digital Preview reflected on Gare St Lazare’s staging of Beckett’s 1961 groundbreaking novel How It Is over 3 productions. The presentation included filmed extracts by Grant Gee from How It Is (Part 1) and (Part 2), including music by Mel Mercier and The Irish Gamelan Orchestra and singer Mark Padmore, guest musicians Nick Roth and Claudia Schwab. It also featured a live extract of How It Is (Part 3) performed by Conor Lovett and Stephen Dillane. Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett.
In 2015 Gare St Lazare Ireland became artists in residence at The Everyman and began a 6 year project to stage Samuel Beckett’s 1961 novel How It Is over 3 productions. Parts 1 and 2 have been performed at The Everyman and this Digital Preview included a section of Part 3 performed live by Conor Lovett and Stephen Dillane in the company tradition of presenting work-in-progress for audiences as part of the making process. Judy Hegarty Lovett and Mel Mercier were present also and the core collaborators discussed the work live and answered questions from the audience.
Samuel Beckett’s novel How It Is continues to delight readers, written entirely without punctuation it challenges language and is one of Beckett’s most enigmatic works.
Gare St Lazare’s commitment to staging Beckett’s prose works has opened up the writer’s work to audiences in Ireland and around the world demonstrating that his astounding body of work goes far beyond his reputation as the playwright who brought us Waiting For Godot.
The New York Times has called Gare St Lazare Ireland ‘The Unparalleled Beckett Champions.’
“A flawless conjunction of acting and staging” – The Irish Times on How It Is (Part 1)
“Gare St Lazare have given the wow-factor to Beckett” – Irish Examiner on How It Is (Part 2)
Gare St Lazare’s 2021 online presentations are supported by an Arts Council Capacity Building Grant, The Everyman Theatre and The Coronet Theatre in London.
The company have been granted Arts Council funding to mount all 3 parts in a single project later in 2021.
With the kind permissions of the Estate of Samuel Beckett.
Creative Team
Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett
Performed by Conor Lovett and Stephen Dillane
Sound Design and composition: Mel Mercier
Featuring singer: Mark Padmore (Part 2).
Featuring: The Irish Gamelan Orchestra with guests Nick Roth and Claudia Schwab (Part 2)
Set Design for Part 1: Judy Hegarty Lovett and Kris Stone
Lighting Design for Part 1 (Cork): Kris Stone
Lighting Design for Part 1 (London): Simon Bennison
Lighting Design for Part 2: Mick Hurley
Filmed by Grant Gee and Louis Hegarty Lovett
Sound Engineer: Anthony Hanley
Stage Manager (Part 1) development: Aoife O’Sullivan
Stage Manager (Part 1) production: Sadhbh Barrett Coakley
Stage Manager (Part 2) production: Aoife Clarke
Produced by Maura O’Keeffe
How It Is, by Samuel Beckett – A Digital Preview_Mini Programme
