The Project
New Orleans is the setting for the 20th century’s most emblematic story of waiting. According to artist Paul Chan, “The longing for the new is a reminder of what is worth renewing. Seeing Godot embedded in the very fabric of the landscape of New Orleans was my way of re-imagining the empty roads, the debris, and, above all, the bleak silence as more than the expression of mere collapse. There is a terrible symmetry between the reality of New Orleans post-Katrina and the essence of this play, which expresses in stark eloquence the cruel and funny things people do while they wait: for help, for food, for tomorrow.”

The Book
Published in 2010, Waiting for Godot in New Orleans: A Field Guide brings together a rich collection of primary ephemera, photographs, articles, and essays that explore the project’s unique community-centric process from conception to completion. Hardcover copies of the book are available for purchase from the Creative Time store, and PDFs of each chapter—along with unpublished, exclusive photos and texts from the Waiting for Godot project—are available for download at www.creativetime.org/godotbook.

The Play
Four free site-specific outdoor evening performances of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot will take place over two weekends in November in two New Orleans neighborhoods — the middle of an intersection in the Lower Ninth Ward, and the front yard of an abandoned house in Gentilly.
November 2 & 3, N Roman St & Forstall St., Lower Ninth Ward, 7:00PM
November 9 & 10, Robert E Lee Blvd & Pratt Dr., Gentilly, 7:00PM

Collaborations and Shadow Fund
The project has evolved into a larger social production involving free art seminars, educational programs, theater workshops, and conversations with the community. A “shadow” fund will be given to local organizations for rebuilding efforts in neighborhoods where the play is presented.

Background
For the past nine months, Paul Chan has worked with New Orleanian artists, activists, and organizers to formalize the shape of the play and broaden the social scope of the project. Visiting New Orleans for the first time in November 2006, the artist was struck by the disquieting stillness: no hammer sounds banging in the distance, no construction crews yelling to one another, no cranes visible on the skyline. His immediate response to the city was to imagine an outdoor performance of Samuel Beckett's legendary play, Waiting for Godot. “The longing for the new is a reminder of what is worth renewing. Seeing Godot embedded in the very fabric of the landscape of New Orleans was way of re-imaging the empty roads, the debris, and, above all, the bleak silence as more than the expression of mere collapse,” stated Chan. This production continues the presentation of the play in politically charged environments, including San Quentin prison (1957), a performance directed by Susan Sontag in war-torn Sarajevo (1993), and Classical Theatre of Harlem’s post-Katrina inspired production featuring New Orleans native Wendell Pierce in Harlem (2006).

As an arts organization that for 33 years has enlivened public space in NYC and challenged the notion of what art can be, Creative Time immediately signed on to present this project in New Orleans and launch its national program. “We traveled with Paul Chan to lay the groundwork with the goal to involve and benefit the local community in all facets of the production. Meetings were held with neighborhood groups and individuals to listen to concerns, learn from their insights, and adapt planning with their challenging advice,” stated Anne Pasternak, President and Artistic Director, Creative Time. “More than a play, the work is a socially engaged performance at the heart of a national crisis,” added Nato Thompson, Curator and Producer, Creative Time.

Click here to read Paul Chan's Artist Statement about the project.