20 August 2026
A rare new staging of one of Samuel Beckett's most celebrated and demanding works will come to the University of Reading this September, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the play in a setting uniquely connected to Beckett’s life and legacy.
Not I will be performed at the University's Minghella Studios on 19 and 20 September 2026, directed by Sir Rufus Norris, former Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the National Theatre, and starring Claire Booth, British Soprano and Royal Philharmonic Society Singer of the Year 2025.
The performance is part of the Samuel Beckett Biennale, a new initiative by Irish arts festival organisation Arts Over Borders, in association with the University of Reading's Samuel Beckett Research Centre.
The Samuel Beckett Biennale builds on the legacy of the acclaimed Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival. It brings together locations associated with Beckett across Ireland and the UK to explore his work in innovative and experimental ways.
The performances are significant because the University is home to the world's largest collection of Beckett materials, including manuscripts, letters, books, recordings, production archives and personal artefacts that have made Reading an internationally recognised centre for Beckett scholarship and creative practice.
The Samuel Beckett Research Centre, an interdisciplinary hub for creative and scholarly engagement with Beckett's work, will play a central role in the event. The production will reflect the centre's mission to connect the University's internationally renowned Beckett archive with contemporary artists, audiences and new creative interpretations.
Dr Matthew McFrederick, Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Reading and Co-Director of the Samuel Beckett Research Centre, said: "The University of Reading is uniquely placed to host this production. Through the Samuel Beckett Research Centre and the Beckett Collection, we care for the world's largest archive of Beckett materials while also supporting new creative engagements with his work.
“Welcoming Not I to campus demonstrates how Beckett's plays continue to inspire artists, audiences and researchers alike. It is exactly the kind of conversation between archive, scholarship and performance that the University is committed to fostering.”
Written in 1972, Not I is widely regarded as one of Beckett's most challenging and innovative dramatic works. The play consists of a rapid-fire monologue delivered by a single character known only as ‘Mouth’, speaking from darkness in a torrent of language that has captivated audiences and performers for more than five decades.
The performances form the centrepiece of a specially conceived evening curated by Arts Over Borders, with audiences moving through different spaces within the Minghella Studios. The performance will be preceded by conversations about the creative process with the actors, producers and academics from the Beckett Research Centre.
Not I by Samuel Beckett
Dates: 19 September 2026, 7pm and 20 September 2026, 5pm
Venue: Minghella Studios, University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus
Duration: Approximately 80 minutes
Tickets: £25 (£20 students). More details.
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