Although the Center for Studies in Beckett and Performance has no office or building and no real budget to speak of, it has many achievements to record. The Center exists simply as the creative and scholarly outcome of a small number of theatre faculty, and a network of colleagues, who share an abiding fascination for Samuel Beckett's plays, some of the most compelling and deeply poetic works to be written for the stage. More words and critical commentaries have been written on and about Beckett than any other playwright, with the sole exception of Shakespeare. The Center, however, appears to be the only one of its kind in the United States or Europe. Our primary mission as an academic center is not to continue adding to library bookshelves that groan beneath the weight of so much intellectual and worthy endeavor, rather it is to continue to give to Beckett's plays new life and new audiences.

Theatre performance is an art form that, as Beckett once said of life, can only "live the space of a door that opens and shuts." The work of the Center, established in 2002, is enabled by the support and recognition of Colorado State University's Theatre Program and its College of Liberal Arts. As can be seen from the chronology of Beckett related events, the Center has enjoyed a close collaborative relationship with diverse partners, none more significant than Fort Collins' innovative Bas Bleu Theatre.

If you are interested in supporting the work of the Center, or helping to generate a new project or performance as a sponsor or artist, please contact us - we would welcome hearing from you.

Dr. Eric Prince
Professor Emeritus of Theatre
Colorado State University
Founder, Center for Studies in Beckett and Performance