Waakin fur Ettlin fur Godot (Walking for Waiting for Godot)

About

As part of its 2026 Samuel Beckett Biennale, Arts Over Borders is delighted to present a landmark one-off performed-reading of 'Waakin fur Ettlin fur Godot' (Walking for Waiting for Godot). Set against the upland landscape of County Antrim, this production centres around a specially commissioned premiere translation of Beckett's classic play in Ulster-Scots for Ireland's Northern Literary Lands and to be performed round Tree for Waiting for Godot (see picture) by Sir Antony Gormley.

Experience Samuel Beckett's masterpiece transformed. Translated into Ulster-Scots by Frank Ferguson (Director of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at Ulster University), this version offers an earthier, wryer, and deeply visceral experience of the play. 

Audiences will meet at Gracehill Old School, Ballymena, which Beckett’s mother, May, attended and from which she was expelled for talking to a boy over a fence. Godot will be performed on the lower slopes of Slemish Mountain, the site of legend, where St Patrick lived after being kidnapped, brought to Ireland and made a slave.  

The Antrim performance takes place close to the coast, just a short ferry ride from Scotland, where many of the words of the new translation are still in use or very familiar. Marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, three of the signatories of which were Ulster Scots immigrants, the translation chimes with the lead characters' reminiscences about the 1890s, a time when Ulster-Scots was widely spoken in rural north-east Ireland. It is fair to say that the Becketts have not fared all that well in the part of the North where Godot will be performed; aside from his mother being expelled from Gracehill, Beckett also experienced a short-lived stint as a teacher at Campbell College in Belfast. While there, Beckett responded to the headmaster's: "Don't you realise you are teaching the cream of Ulster, Mr. Beckett" with "Yes, rich and thick, Headmaster". Now, mother and son will have some new reconciliation in the area, as Arts Over Borders brings Beckett’s most famous work to the region in its own rich rural language.

What to Expect:

A Unique Format: An Arts Over Borders performed reading foregrounds the playwright’s text. Actors are fully rehearsed, directed and on-set, but retain the physical script in hand.
The Journey: Your experience begins with a short bus journey to a secret location, followed by a gentle 15-minute walk to the performance location.
Seating: Seats will be provided at the performance location.

Important Audience Information:

Bus Departure Point: Outside Gracehill Old School, Gracehill (Carpark nearby for car parking)
Timeline: The bus departs strictly at 15:00 and returns at approximately 19.00.
What to Wear: Please dress in warm layers and wear suitable, sturdy footwear for field walking.
Tickets: £22 (Includes return bus transport)

When and where: 3pm bus departure from outside Gracehill Old School (where Samuel Beckett’s mother attended school!), Gracehill, Co. Antrim (30min journey).