Full Cast Announced for "Waiting For Godot" at Geffen Playhouse

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR “WAITING FOR GODOT” AT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

FEATURING LINCOLN BONILLA, CONNOR LOVETT, AASIF MANDVI, JACK MCSHERRY, ADAM STEIN AND RAINN WILSON

WRITTEN BY SAMUEL BECKETT AND DIRECTED BY JUDY HEGARTY LOVETT

PREVIEWS BEGIN NOVEMBER 6 - OPENING NIGHT IS NOVEMBER 14

LOS ANGELES (October 1, 2024) – Geffen Playhouse today announced the full cast for Waiting for Godot, written by Nobel Prize winner Samuel Beckett (Endgame, Krapp’s Last Tape) and directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett (The Realistic Joneses, How It Is). Waiting for Godot is produced in association with Gare St Lazare Ireland.

The cast includes Lincoln Bonilla (Jane the Virgin, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures) as Boy, Conor Lovett (I’ll Find You, Versailles) as Pozzo, Aasif Mandvi (Evil, The Daily Show) as Estragon, Jack McSherry (Waiting for Godot Geffen Playhouse debut) as Boy, Adam Stein (Our Flag Means Death, Wait Until Dark) as Lucky and Rainn Wilson (Thom Pain, The Office) as Vladimir.

Previews for Waiting for Godot begin Wednesday, November 6, 2024, in the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse. Opening night is Thursday, November 14, 2024.

As Vladimir and Estragon wait and wait for the arrival of the elusive Godot, a cast of mysterious misfits interrupt their endless vigil in Samuel Beckett’s tragi-comic masterpiece that has captivated audiences for decades. Timeless and multi-layered, Waiting for Godot changed the course of contemporary drama and remains as resonant and riveting as ever. Gare St Lazare Ireland, “the unparalleled Beckett champions” according to the New York Times, bring their wit and skill to what promises to be a Godot for the ages.

Geffen Playhouse is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, and as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan.

Geffen Playhouse’s Theater as a Lens for Justice initiative provides access to this production and supplementary programs for populations impacted by incarceration and is supported, in part, by Jayne Baron Sherman.

This production is also supported by Culture Ireland.

WAITING FOR GODOT
Written by Samuel Beckett
Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett

Produced in Association with Gare St Lazare Ireland

Previews: November 6 – November 13, 2024
Opening Night: November 14, 2024
Closing Night: December 15, 2024

CAST
Lincoln Bonilla as Boy*
Conor Lovett as Pozzo
Aasif Mandvi as Estragon
Jack McSherry as Boy*
Adam Stein as Lucky
Rainn Wilson as Vladimir

*The role of “Boy” will be alternately performed by Lincoln Bonilla and Jack McSherry

PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic & Costume Designer Kaye Voyce
Lighting Designer Simon Bennison
Sound Design Composition by Mel Mercier
Associate Director Velani Dibba
Fight Director Steve Rankin
Production Stage Manager Alyssa Escalante
Assistant Stage Manager Miriam E. Mendoza
Casting Director Phyllis Schuringa, CSA

UNDERSTUDIES
Timothy Paul Brown as u/s Vladimir
Andrew Brian Carter as u/s Pozzo / Lucky
Boise Holmes as u/s Estragon

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Monday, Tuesday No performance
Wednesday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 and 7:00 p.m.

LOCATION
Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets currently priced at $36.00 - $159. Available by phone at 310.208.2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Fees may apply.

All Geffen Playhouse productions are intended for an adult audience; children under 10 years of age will not be admitted.

Rush tickets for each day’s performance are made available to the general public one hour before showtime at the box office. $40.00 General/$20.00 Student.

COLLEGE AUDIENCES
Through a variety of events and other opportunities, Geffen Playhouse welcomes college students to experience the live storytelling presented on our stages. We are proud of our association with UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, and open our doors to all college students throughout Los Angeles. More information is available at www.geffenplayhouse.org/college.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Samuel Beckett (Playwright)
Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) is widely recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969. Mr. Beckett is most renowned for his play Waiting for Godot, which launched his career in theatre. He then went on to write numerous successful full-length plays, including Endgame in 1957, Krapp’s Last Tape in 1958, and Happy Days in 1960. Mr. Beckett received his first commission for radio from the BBC in 1956 for All That Fall. This was followed by a further five plays for radio, including Embers, Words and Music, and Cascando. Like no other dramatist before him, Mr. Beckett’s works capture the pathos and ironies of modern life yet still maintain his faith in man’s capacity for compassion and survival, no matter how absurd his environment may have become.

Judy Hegarty Lovett (Director)
With over twenty-three Beckett productions for Gare St Lazare Ireland, Judy Hegarty Lovett is the pre-eminent director of Samuel Beckett’s work. Titles include Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable, Lessness, Enough, Worstward Ho, Texts For Nothing, First Love, The End, The Calmative, Ill Seen Ill Said, How It Is, Here All Night, Waiting for Godot, Rockaby, and all six Beckett radio plays. She has presented in over eighty-five cities worldwide at venues including Lincoln Center Theater, Signature Theatre Company (NYC), UCLA Live, National Theatre (London), Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, and Abbey Theatre (Dublin). In 2021 Judy directed a six-hour film of Beckett’s novel How It Is and was awarded a Ph.D. on the staging of Beckett’s prose at University of Reading, UK. She has a postgraduate degree in Dramatherapy and a degree in Fine Art/mixed media. In the US she directed Copenhagen by Michael Frayn at Rubicon Theatre Company and Title and Deed and The Realistic Joneses, both by Will Eno. Judy won Best Director at The Irish Times Irish Theater Awards in 2022 for The Realistic Jones and was nominated for Best Director at The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards in 2019 for How It Is (Part 2) and for Best Production in 2018 for How It Is (Part 1).

Lincoln Bonilla (Boy)
Lincoln Bonilla is a rising young actor who discovered his passion for performing early, landing his first role at age 2 on Jane the Virgin (The CW). Since then, his career has spanned to television, film, and stage, with notable roles in Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (Disney+), That Girl Lay Lay (Nickelodeon), Life By Ella (Apple TV+), Women Is Losers (Max), and Station 19 (ABC). In 2024, Lincoln made his theater debut in the acclaimed Young Playwrights Festival, showcasing his range and dedication to live performance. With a gift for understanding emotions and a fearless approach to acting, Lincoln is an emerging talent to watch across screen and stage. When he’s not acting, Lincoln enjoys playing soccer, building with LEGO, swimming, and learning new songs on his guitar.

Conor Lovett (Pozzo)
With over twenty Beckett roles to his credit, Conor is considered one of the foremost Beckett actors. In addition to over thirty years working with director Judy Hegarty Lovett, he was twice directed by German director Walter D. Asmus, who worked as Beckett’s assistant in Berlin in the 1970s. Conor trained with movement master Jacques Lecoq in Paris. He and Judy Hegarty Lovett founded Gare St Lazare Ireland in 1996 with their production of Beckett’s Molloy. The company’s subsequent staging of over twenty-five Beckett titles affirms it among the most prolific Beckett interpreters. Conor has also performed with Rubicon Theatre Company and Signature Theatre in the US and with Gate Theatre and Druid Theatre in Ireland. US playwright Will Eno wrote Title and Deed for Conor (directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett). Conor has been recognized for his work with awards in Edinburgh, Dublin, London, New York, Santa Barbara, and Shanghai. On screen he has appeared in numerous movies and TV series including I’ll Find You, Marie Antoinette, Endeavour, Versailles, and Father Ted.

Aasif Mandvi (Estragon)
Aasif Mandvi is an award-winning actor, writer, and producer. He can currently be seen starring on the Paramount+/Netflix drama Evil and the Channel 4/Hulu comedy This Way Up. Known for his decade-long work as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy Award–winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he was also a writer, producer, and co-star on the HBO series THE BRINK, and host of the CW comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? Other film and TV credits include: Mother’s Day, Million Dollar Arm, The Internship, The Dictator, Spider-Man 2, The Proposal, The Last Airbender, Ghost Town, A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix), Blue Bloods (CBS), Younger (TV Land), and Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO). Aasif will next be seen in the upcoming AMC anthology series The Terror: Devil in Silver. Notable theatre credits include: “Ali Hakim” in the National Theatre/Broadway production of Oklahoma!, Lincoln Center’s premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced (Lucille Lortel Award nomination), and his solo show Sakina’s Restaurant (Obie Award). Mandvi is the recipient of a Peabody Award for co-creating and starring in the web series Halal in the Family, which addressed anti-Muslim bigotry through humor.

Jack McSherry (Boy)
Jack McSherry is delighted to be making his debut with the Geffen Playhouse! A Los Angeles native, Jack has been acting most of his life, from commercials and print to children’s theater. Jack trains with his acting coach Anthony Ocasio at David Gray Studios. Outside of acting, he enjoys playing travel baseball and soccer. An avid reader and war historian, Jack is an academic at heart, with a zest to learn. He is an expert LEGO builder and a budding stop motion director. Jack couldn’t do any of this without his loving, supportive family, little sister included. He’d love to thank his agent, McKenna Murdock and everyone at DDO for their belief in him! Jack cannot wait to captivate audiences in Waiting for Godot!

Adam Stein (Lucky)
In his New York days, Adam Stein appeared both off- and on Broadway, including a year-long stint in Julie Taymor’s The Lion King, in which he assayed the officious role of Zazu. He has performed in theaters around the country, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Old Globe, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Seattle Rep, Alley Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, and others. Some favorite parts include the title role in Stephen Wadsworth’s adaptation of Molière’s Don Juan, “Parolles” in Darko Tresnjak's production of All's Well That Ends Well, and the “Son” in Adam Rapp’s Nocturne, directed by Matt Shakman. At the Geffen, he also appeared in Mr. Shakman’s Wait Until Dark. He received a B.A. in English from Yale and his M.F.A. from NYU's Graduate Acting Program. When not acting, he writes for television, having recently served as an executive producer on two shows for HBO Max (or just Max), Our Flag Means Death and Tokyo Vice.

Rainn Wilson (Vladimir)
Rainn Wilson is an Emmy–nominated and SAG Award–winning actor best known for playing the inimitable “Dwight Schrute” for nine seasons on NBC’s The Office. His robust and diverse career includes television, movies, Broadway, unscripted series, animation, and podcasts. He has an M.F.A. from NYU’s Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts and spent ten years doing theatre in NYC before moving to LA. In addition, he is also a New York Times Bestselling author, having written The Bassoon King, SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions, and his latest book Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. Rainn founded a digital media company and co-founded Lide Haiti, an education non-profit that empowers women and girls through the arts and scholarships in rural Haiti.

OPENING NIGHT HOSPITALITY SPONSOR
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey

ABOUT GARE ST LAZARE IRELAND
Gare St Lazare Ireland is dedicated to the staging of Samuel Beckett’s work with an emphasis on his prose works. It has staged over twenty-four Beckett titles spanning his prose, drama, and radio plays and tours around the world and the US performing at Lincoln Center Theater, Signature Theatre, ArtsEmerson, Rubicon Theatre Company, Laguna Playhouse, and at UCLA’s Royce Hall during the 2006 Beckett Centenary. The Realistic Joneses by Will Eno toured to the West Coast in 2023 and Eno also wrote the solo play Title and Deed for Conor Lovett to perform and Judy Hegarty Lovett to direct in 2011. In Ireland, the company has toured to over sixty venues and recently performed at Abbey Theatre, Dublin and The Everyman, Cork. In 2023, Gare St Lazare set up Atelier Samuel Beckett in France to offer residential stays for artists of all disciplines to take time and space to develop their own work while considering the work of Samuel Beckett. www.garestlazareireland.com Gare St Lazare are grateful to Culture Ireland for supporting this collaboration with Geffen Playhouse.

ABOUT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates and is currently helmed by Executive Director/CEO Gil Cates, Jr., Artistic Director Tarell Alvin McCraney and Board Chair Adi Greenberg. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains extensive education and community engagement programs, designed to involve underserved young people and the community at large in the arts. www.geffenplayhouse.org