At the sound of a piercing bell, Winnie wakes and exclaims, “Another heavenly day!” Even though she is buried up to her waist in a mound of earth, Winnie – ever the optimist- goes about her day without acknowledging her precarious position. She brushes her teeth, puts on lipstick, reminisces, and references great works of literature that she has read; but she can no longer remember the lines that inspired her. Her source of comfort and inspiration, and all her “happy days” are the items in her seemingly bottomless bag, her thoughts, and the presence of her companion, Willie.

Says Kate Duffy of her character, “There’s an unfortunate myth that Beckett’s work is dense or inaccessible. At at the end of the day, Winnie is just a middle aged woman coming to terms with relationships and the passing of time. What could be more relatable and universal?”

Although Happy Days is one of Beckett’s most whimsical works, it continues his relentless search for the meaning of existence, combing the tenuous relationships that bind one person to another, and each to the universe, to time past and present. Happy Days is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), one of the most important writers in twentieth century literature and drama, was born in Foxrock, Ireland, and attended Trinity College Dublin. In 1969 Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for having “transformed the destitution of man into his exaltation.” 

Clerical Error Productions was proud to be bringing Happy Days, a classic of modern theatre that has nonetheless received few, if any, productions locally over its life, to Indianapolis audiences.