Waiting for Godot

A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Waiting for Godot

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  4m, 1boy(s)

Samuel Beckett

In this masterpiece of existentialism, first staged in 1953, Samuel Beckett explores the futility of man’s hope through the experiences of two wanderers named Vladimir and Estragon.

Image: 2025 Broadway Production (Andy Henderson)

Waiting for Godot

Request licence
Get the Script
  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4m, 1boy(s)
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Experimental
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Two wandering tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, wait by a lonely tree to meet up with Mr. Godot, an enigmatic figure in a world where time, place and memory are blurred and meaning is where you find it. The tramps hope that Godot will change their lives for the better. Instead, two eccentric travelers arrive, one man on the end of the other’s rope. The results are both funny and dangerous in Beckett’s existential classic.

History

Waiting for Godot made its world premiere on January 5, 1953 in the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris. The production was directed by Roger Blin, who also played the role of Pozzo. On April 19, 1956, the play made its Broadway premiere at the John Golden Theatre. Directed by Herbert Berghof, the production starred Bert Lahr and E. G. Marshall. Waiting for Godot has returned to Broadway four times, starring Mantan Moreland and Earle Hyman (1957), Bill Irwin and Nathan Lane (2009), Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (2013) and Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter (2025).

Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
VLADIMIR (DIDI) – The more responsible and mature of the two wandering tramps.
ESTRAGON (GOGO) – Seems weak and helpless, always looking for Vladimir’s protection. He also has a poor memory.
POZZO – A wealthy and large passerby.
LUCKY – Pozzo's slave, who carries Pozzo’s bags and stool.
BOY – A child, supposedly in the employ of Mr. Godot.
  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting

    A wasteland with a single tree. 

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“A witty and poetic conundrum.” – The Guardian

“It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. But you can expect witness to the strange power this drama has to convey the impression of some melancholy truths about the hopeless destiny of the human race.“ – The New York Times

“The play’s influence permeated theater and spread into pop culture.” – The Washington Post

“Although Waiting for Godot is a ‘puzzlement,’ as the King of Siam would express it, Mr. Beckett is no charlatan. He has strong feelings about the degradation of mankind, and he has given vent to them copiously. Waiting for Godot is all feeling. Perhaps that is why it is puzzling and convincing at the same time. Theatregoers can rail at it, but they cannot ignore it. For Mr. Beckett is a valid writer.” – Brooks Atkinson, The New York Times

Photos

  • Waiting for Godot

    Image: 2013 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Waiting for Godot

    Image: 2025 Broadway Production (Andy Henderson)

  • Waiting for Godot

    Image: 2025 Broadway Production (Andy Henderson)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

Available Formats:
Get the Script

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) is widely recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

Mr. Beckett is most renowned for his play Waiting for Godot, which launched his career in theatre. He then went on to w ...

View full profile

Now Playing