Featured Events in Enniskillen in April 2025 (September Updated)

In a special introductory talk, the poet and novelist, David Cameron opens the talks' programme with a distinctive insight into Waiting For Godot and its place in Beckett's writing. A Scot living near Belfast, David Cameron is the author of the critical study, Samuel Beckett: The Middle and Later Years. In 2014 he received the Hennessy Literary Award for Poetry and has had three poetry books published, the most recent of which is Red Dress. His four books of fiction include the reverse-chronological novel, Prendergast’s Fall, and the Amsterdam-based novel, Femke. He is the curator of the online initiative Into Poetry (intocreative.co.uk/poetry) and its publishing imprint. Information Source: Oh My Godot! | eventbrite

Daniel Figgis played the role of the boy in the famous 1969 Abbey Theatre production of Waiting For Godot, which starred Peter O’Toole and Donal McCann. They also all performed in O’Toole’s interpretation of the play at the Nottingham Playhouse. Daniel also had a successful film and television career as a child/young actor. In conversation with Jane Coyle, he reflects on his memories of that Godot production, of his early acting life and of the actors and directors he worked with. Daniel will be joined on stage by two of the local boys who performed in the Happy Days festival’s presentations of Waiting for Godot. Daniel Figgis is a composer, producer, curator and intermedia artist. He engages with and is inspired by innovative applications for technologies old and new. Jane Coyle is an award-winning Belfast-based arts journalist and critic. Information Source: Oh My Godot! | eventbrite

‘Was I sleeping while the others suffered? Am I sleeping now? Tomorrow when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today?’ Waiting For Godot In Waiting For Godot, Vladimir remarks 'Was I sleeping while the others suffered?' Taking this quote as the event's focus the Palestinian researcher Bana Abu Zuluf and the Ukrainian performer, composer and curator Olesya Zdorovetska discuss with Carlo Gébler how society responds today whilst in the midst of global wars, tragedy and shifting structures of power. Do we turn away from the suffering of others? Are we culpable of passivity? Bana Abu Zuluf is a PhD researcher in International Law at Maynooth University. She is also the research and communications officer at the Good Shepherd Collective. Her research interests are epistemic oppression, meaningful solidarity, decolonisation, and international law vulnerabilities. As a soloist and collaborator, Olesya Zdorovetska performs internationally, also working regularly in theatre and film. She is a founder of the Ukrainian-Irish Cultural Platform and co-curator of Phonica, a festival of experimental music and poetry. She was a 2022 recipient of the Markievicz Award and a winner at the 25th Irish Theatre Awards. Carlo Gébler is a writer and broadcaster. His most recent book is A Cold Eye: Notes from a Shared Island 1989 - 2024. Information Source: Oh My Godot! | eventbrite

The King James Bible had a profound influence on Samuel Beckett's writing; in his later years it was always present in the rooms where he worked. Why has the King James Bible retained this influence across the centuries and how does it inspire contemporary writers? Is there an ongoing creative dialogue with its language? Robert McCrum and Malika Booker, in conversation with Carlo Gébler, offer their perspectives. Robert McCrum is a writer, journalist and broadcaster. He was Editor-in-Chief of Faber & Faber (1980-1995) and Literary Editor of The Observer (1996-2012). His books include The Story of English and Shakespearean: On Life & Language in Times of Disruption. Malika Booker is a British poet of Guyanese and Grenadian parentage, co-founder of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen (a writer’s collective), and a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her poetry collection Pepper Seed was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre 2014 prize for first full collection. She was the inaugural Poet in Residence at The Royal Shakespeare Company. Carlo Gébler is a writer and broadcaster. His most recent book is A Cold Eye: Notes from a Shared Island 1989 - 2024. Information Source: Oh My Godot! | eventbrite

The fathers of actor Clara Simpson and soprano Sophie Daneman held important places in the history of Waiting for Godot. Alan Simpson mounted the first production in Ireland of the play at the Pike Theatre in Dublin, which he had co-founded with his wife Carolyn Swift. The actor Paul Daneman played Vladimir in Peter Hall’s 1955 British première at the Arts Theatre in London. In an open and revealing conversation with the journalist, Victoria Johnston, Clara and Sophie reflect on their memories of their fathers and the place of Beckett in their lives. Clara Simpson is an actor and director and has lived in France for a number of years. She has performed Pas moi/ Not l at the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival. Sophie Daneman is an accomplished recitalist and has appeared at many of the world’s major recital venues. In recent years, alongside her singing work, Sophie has also developed a career as a stage director. Chairperson: Victoria Johnston joined The Impartial Reporter in Enniskillen in 2020. She has an interest in social justice issues, crime, politics, human interest stories and the arts. Information Source: Oh My Godot! | eventbrite