Theater historian and Samuel Beckett specialist Enoch Brater presents an overview of the life and works of playwright Samuel Beckett, his influence upon modern theater, and the landmark productions of Beckett's works staged by the Gate Theatre of Dublin. This event is co-sponsored by the University Musical Society and the U-M Department of English Language and Literature.

Ireland's acclaimed Gate Theatre is largely considered the leading interpreter of the great Irish modernist writer, playwright, and humorist Samuel Beckett in the world and this event is held in conjunction with University Musical Society's double-bill of two one-act Beckett plays ("Endgame" and "Watt") performed by the Gate Theatre Of Dublin and at the Power Center Oct. 27 - 29.

Samuel Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969 for a body of work that includes novels, essays, poems and plays. His best-known play, "Waiting for Godot" (1953) is a comic study of philosophical uncertainty, and, like much of his work, focuses on the absurdity of human existence. Never exactly mainstream, Beckett is nonetheless considered one of the most important European writers of the 20th century for his influence on modern literature and for his ability to impress shock and confound.