Uncommon Players

Passing their days in a bare room, the nearly blind, chair-bound tyrant Hamm and his dutiful but resentful and hard of hearing servant Clov exist in a constant see-saw of pathos and hatred, love and hope.

While the battling conversation between master and servant intensifies, Hamm’s parents, Nell and Nagg toy with nostalgia. Symbolic of the enthusiasms of youth and how the young can disregard the needs of the old, even as the old reminisce about their youthful enthusiasms.

In this mix of dark comedic wordplay and macabre insight, Beckett’s mastery is evident –absurdity in the face of meaninglessness, sorrow in the face of futility, humour in the face of mortality. Following a successful run at The Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter in 2013, this re-mounting of Beckett’s classic 1957 play signals the fourth Westcountry tour by the Uncommon Players.

Last year’s tour of The Browning Version was warmly received by audiences across Devon and Somerset. This year Endgame, supported by Arts Council England will be the most ambitious tour to date for the Devon company. With a local cast of professional and amateur actors, the UnCommon Players tour great plays to great little places.