Catastrophe Performance

Catastrophe by Samuel Beckett was written in 1982. The play holds a political theme while also being a sort of biography of the life of Vaclav Havel, a Czech playwright that was sent to prison. Regardless of the interpretation of Catastrophe when it is performed Beckett wanted the protagonist to be a martyr rather than a victim of sacrifice and conformity. My groups chose to use a modern day example of oppression. The stage was set where instead of having the protagonist be a prisoner we had him in a business suit, a young college graduate who was ready to work to make it to the top. However, as the play goes on the director, the boss and “the Man” striped the protagonist of his dreams and privacy to break him down into a 9-5 machine. The assistant was the one doing the bidding of the director, this was an essential action for her to retain her own job, although she did not agree with all his ideals.