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NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
★★★★
“Stephen Rea is hauntingly good in Beckett’s masterpiece” – The Guardian
ABOUT THE WORK
Legendary Irish actor Stephen Rea takes on Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape in a revelatory new production directed by Vicky Featherstone. Direct from its acclaimed run at London’s Barbican, this gripping solo performance explores memory, regret, and the passage of time with Beckett’s signature wit and stark poetry. Rea, known for his mesmerizing stage and screen presence, delivers a tour-de-force portrayal of a man confronting his past through old recordings of himself. Produced by one of Ireland’s leading theatre companies, Landmark Productions, and under Featherstone’s masterful direction, the production strips Krapp’s Last Tape to its essence, heightening its emotional power and dark humor. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness one of the greatest living actors in an unforgettable Beckett classic.
RUN TIME
This production is 55 mins with no intermission
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Stephen Rea is one of the foremost actors of his generation, coming to worldwide attention when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Neil Jordan’s film The Crying Game in 1992. He has enjoyed great acclaim on Irish and international stages through his collaborations with playwrights Sam Shepard, Brian Friel and Enda Walsh.
Following his debut at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, he moved to London. His early experimental work with veterans of LaMama and Nancy Meckler’s Freehold Theatre Company was followed by many leading roles at the National Theatre, including The Playboy of the Western World and The Shaughraun.
His theatre career spans several decades, with many memorable highlights. These include establishing the ground-breaking Field Day Theatre Company with Brian Friel in the 1980s, with whom he appeared in many plays, including Tom Kilroy’s Double Cross; his friendship and collaboration with Sam Shepard, which saw him star in Sam’s directorial debut of his play Geography of a Horse Dreamer in 1974 and continued when Stephen appeared in Kicking a Dead Horse and Ages of the Moon, both at the Abbey Theatre and in New York; his acclaimed performance in Enda Walsh’s Ballyturk for Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival; and, most recently, international critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic for his powerful and deeply disturbing performance in Cyprus Avenue, an Abbey Theatre and Royal Court Theatre co-production, which enjoyed a lengthy run in New York in 2018.
His career on stages across Dublin, London and New York has taken place in tandem with his award-winning film and TV career. In addition to his Academy Award-nominated performance as Fergus in The Crying Game, highlights of his many film credits include Breakfast on Pluto, Michael Collins, V for Vendetta, The End of the Affair and Black ’47, amongst many others. On TV, Stephen won critical acclaim for his remarkable performance in The Honourable Woman, which also earned him a BAFTA award, and he has most recently appeared in The Stranger, War and Peace, Flesh and Blood, the Emmy-nominated Counterpart, and The English for BBC/Amazon.
Vicky Featherstone was Artistic Director of the Royal Court from 2013 – 2023. She was the inaugural Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland from 2005 – 2012 and Artistic Director of Paines Plough from 1997 – 2005.
As a director focusing on new writing and living playwrights, Vicky has directed over 50 world premieres by some of the UK’s leading playwrights and has been responsible alongside her teams for developing some of the finest and most influential new voices of our time. Her work has toured extensively throughout the UK and internationally, and has won many awards.
She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Honorary Professor in Theatre and New Writing from Manchester University and Honorary Doctor of Literature from St Andrews University and is currently a trustee of the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. Vicky played a leading role in the UK theatre movement around MeToo, creating the Code of Behaviour which has been used internationally. As a result of this and her leadership at the Royal Court she was named No 1 most influential person in theatre in The Stage.
Recent work as director includes The Outrun, adapted by Stef Smith from the book by Amy Liptrot, at Lyceum Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival.
Landmark Productions, one of Ireland’s leading theatre producers, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024. It produces wide-ranging work in Ireland and shares that work with international audiences. Led by Anne Clarke since the company’s foundation, its productions have received multiple awards and have been seen in leading theatres in London, New York and beyond. It co-produces regularly with a number of partners, including, most significantly, Galway International Arts Festival, Irish National Opera and the Abbey Theatre. Its 33 world premieres – and counting – include new plays by major Irish writers such as Enda Walsh, Mark O’Rowe and Deirdre Kinahan, featuring a roll call of Ireland’s finest actors, directors and designers. landmarkproductions.ie
CREATIVE CREDITS
Written by Samuel Beckett
Directed by Vicky Featherstone
Starring Stephen Rea
Set Designer Jamie Vartan
Costume Designer Katie Davenport
Lighting Designer Paul Keogan
Sound Designer Kevin Gleeson
Audio Director Stephen Wright
SUPPORT
This project is made possible in part with support from Culture Ireland.
NYU Skirball’s programs are made possible in part with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the Howard Gilman Foundation; Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels; Culture Ireland; The Shubert Foundation; Collins Building Services; General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the USA; Goethe Institut New York; Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; New England Foundation for the Arts; Harkness Foundation for Dance; and Marta Heflin Foundation; as well as our valued donors through memberships, commissioning, and Allies for Arts Access Fund support.