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Video: Dianne Wiest Is Buried In Scorched Earth & Performing Samuel Beckett In This NYC Park
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 24, 2018
Modified Oct 24, 2018
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Photo and video by Jenn Hsu / Gothamist
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 24, 2018
Modified Oct 24, 2018
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Madison Square Park is one of the best New York City parks for public art, and their greatest public art offering is currently on view through the end of this week. Every day until October 26th, from noon to 1 p.m., the wonderful actress Dianne Wiest is performing pieces from Samuel Beckett's Happy Days. During her performances (which began on Monday the 22nd) Wiest is inside of a rock-like sculptural costume designed by Arlene Shechet. (The performance takes place amidst Shechet's Full Steam Ahead installation in the park.)
We dropped by today to experience the work, and found a sizable, attentive crowd encircling Wiest, whose performance was pretty intense:
Wiest portrayed this character, Winnie, on stage at Yale last year. In the play, Wiest's Winnie was buried up to her waist in a mound of post-apocalyptic, scorched earth... thus the costume.
The performance, titled Passing, is free.
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dianne wiest
madison square park
samuel beckett
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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