We're waiting for Godot.

1) What was French classism and social structure like in the time in which the play was published?  What was the political scene like at the time that could have possibly had an influence on the work itself?

2) Does the juxtaposition of the physical realities of Didi and Gogo (the five senses, i.e. pain) with the seeming lack of metaphysical elements (time, memory, etc.) serve to highlight certain themes within the text? If so, what? Additionally, how have prior productions dealt with this juxtaposition?

3) What are the “rules” of the play? How have prior productions dealt with the “rules” of such elements as the passage of time, character relationships, etc. and how can we incorporate those “rules” or new “rules” into our production?

4) What does this text look like in the original French? Is there a preference for the use of “masculine” words in the original text?

5) Why is this play relevant for our audience? Do we need to find a theme, such as the New Orleans production, to use as a lens to view the play through to continue to make it relevant for audiences? If we do need to find a “theme,” what would it be?

6) Is there any literature that is written on the similarities between the pairing of Didi/Gogo and Hamm/Clov or the similarities between the language used in the interactions between the two sets of characters?  If so, are there over-arching themes between Waiting for Godot and Endgame (or any of Beckett’s other works)?