The Title
The primary meaning behind the title A Play Where Nothing Happens is clear: for teens waiting for life to begin in a rural town, nothing much DOES happen. They are dealing with the fear of life passing them by. Nothing happens, but so much happens too, as they all figure out things about themselves and their identities.
The primary meaning behind the title A Play Where Nothing Happens is clear: for teens waiting for life to begin in a rural town, nothing much DOES happen. They are dealing with the fear of life passing them by. Nothing happens, but so much happens too, as they all figure out things about themselves and their identities.
The secondary meaning is a little more subtle: to theatre historians, this line reminds us of one particularly caustic reviewer's first impression of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot: as is noted in The Guardian:
The secondary meaning is a little more subtle: to theatre historians, this line reminds us of one particularly caustic reviewer's first impression of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot: as is noted in The Guardian:
Vivian Mercier wrote in the Irish Times in 1956 that Samuel Beckett had "written a play in which nothing happens, twice".
Vivian Mercier wrote in the Irish Times in 1956 that Samuel Beckett had "written a play in which nothing happens, twice".
Aside from being one of the all-time burns, this is also a useful connection to Maizy Broderick Scarpa's play: in Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon wait in vain for Godot to arrive. They want something to happen, and it never does. Yet they wait on. What could be a better approximation of life in a small town as its citizens wait for something - anything - to happen?
Aside from being one of the all-time burns, this is also a useful connection to Maizy Broderick Scarpa's play: in Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon wait in vain for Godot to arrive. They want something to happen, and it never does. Yet they wait on. What could be a better approximation of life in a small town as its citizens wait for something - anything - to happen?