Something Where There's Nothing

Part of the Drama Finalists Performance Festival 2024

SOMETHING WHERE THERE'S NOTHING by Mike McCarthy and Darshanya Whittington-Rao

Silverstone Drama Studio, Sussex University campus

Samuel Beckett’s works are best known for their tender but piercing examination of the universal human condition – what it is to be alive and dependent on one another for survival. Two of Beckett's most famous theatre works, Happy Days and Waiting for Godot, examine notions of dependency between the main characters.

Our performance begins by merging narratives and characters from these two plays. Winnie (Happy Days), embodies physical dependence and constraint, witnessed by her long-suffering, obstinate husband, Willie. In Godot, Vladimir and Estragon’s wait for something or someone who never arrives, examines existential and philosophical dependence. In both plays, the characters want to leave – each other, the stage, this place - but they can’t.

Combining physical theatre and textual analysis, we explore the physical and psychological limitations of co-dependency, inviting the audience to contemplate the weight of interdependency, the power dynamics between dependent and caregiver, and the way connection unfolds when we can’t stay together but cannot let go either.

A note to the audience: This performance adopts an absurdist style. Please respect the silence of the space as part of the performance. There will be respectful but intimate proximity to performers. Feel free to leave the space if necessary during the performance, and do so quietly if you need to. Enjoy the performance!

Host or Publisher Sussex University Drama