Bill Irwin, creator and performer of “On Beckett,” which was performed at A.C.T.’s Strand Theatre through January 22, 2017, is interviewed by Richard Wolinsky.
Bill Irwin won the Tony Award for his portrayal of George opposite Kathleen Turner’s Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” on Broadway. He performed as both Lucky and Vladimir in productions on Broadway of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” and performed in A.C.T.’s recent production of Beckett’s “Endgame.” A veteran of several TV shows and films, currently he appears regularly on the TV show “Law & Order: SVU” and appeared previously on “Sleepy Hollow,” and “Legion,” and will appear in the upcoming film “Lust Life Love.”
A founder of the legendary Pickle Family Circus, he has also appeared in San Francisco and New York in the shows “Fool Moon” and “Old Hats.”
Bill Irwin’s interest in Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) goes back to college and his performances of Beckett not only include the mentioned plays but other works as well.
The interview was recorded January 9, 2017 in a dressing room at the Strand Theatre in San Francisco. Special thanks to Carey Perloff and Kevin Kopjak for making this possible.