waiting for godot

Beards of Instagram's production of Waiting for Godot, one of the most influential English language plays of the 20th century, features some of the most prominent names in the Austin theater/improv scene, and is directed by one of them, Jeremy Sweetlamb, who also stars as Estragon.

Joining Sweetlamb as the Vladimir to his Estragon is Michael Joplin, former Austin Critics Table Best Actor for Lungs at HPT in 2017, who is currently playing Charlie Parfitt on Apple TV’s For All Mankind. This is his Austin return from Los Angeles, where he’s been living for the past seven years. Joplin, a troupe mate of Sweetlamb in Austin’s long-running Available Cupholders improv troupe, has also been doing comedy in another famed Austin group, The Knuckleball Now, celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2024, with Mike D’Alonzo, who plays Pozzo in this production.

Playing the enigmatic Lucky in “Godot” is local acting pillar Kareem Badr, winner of the B.Iden Payne award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for Heartland (Vortex Rep), and nominee for the Austin Chronicle’s “Best of Austin” award for Best Actor. He is a co-owner of the Hideout Theater, where he has been playing with standout troupe Parallelogramophonograph for the last couple of decades.

Rounding out the cast is Clark Schutt, a student of Sweetlamb’s at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, making his debut at Hyde Park.

This play, which opens just two days after the 2024 election, will resonate with audiences as much today as it did when the play opened in 1952.

Beards of Instagram's Waitting for Godot plays at Hyde Park Theatre at 8pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 7-9. Tickets are on a slidingscale of $17-$25. Purchase tickets online or call 512-479-PLAY (7529) for reservations.