How to… find your muse

For over 20 years I have focused on the works of the playwright, author and poet Samuel Beckett. I’ve directed over 17 Beckett titles – most of them the prose works, which my company Gare St Lazare Ireland adapted for the stage – and I’ve just started a PhD at Reading University on performing his prose.

But I didn’t set out to devote my career to Beckett’s writings. It’s only later in my career that I realised it happened, and now that it has happened, I’m very happy to continue on this path.

So what’s the secret? How can you find your own Beckett?

Work out how you like to tell stories

Beckett is a brilliant writer. His exploration of the voice within speaks to everyone and his prose writings work especially well for the theatre. I can really relate to Beckett’s philosophy, and I like the way he respects people and explores what it is to be human.

As a director, I’m really interested in breaking the fourth wall and having a direct relationship with the audience, and many of Beckett’s prose works lend themselves to a direct performance because they are written in the first person. That’s key for me. There’s a lot of play between the actor, the stage, the character, the performer and the audience in the work I do. The audience like it too – my experience has been that they’re smart and like to get involved when at a show. They appreciate having to work a little.

My advice would be to ask yourself how you like to tell stories. Whatever work you’re doing, if it’s creative, you’ll be telling a story at some point. Beckett’s clarity works perfectly for the stories I like to tell. There will be someone or something out there doing the same for you.

Don’t let anyone else decide your interests for you

I’ve been working on Beckett texts with Conor Lovett, one of the foremost Beckett interpreters, for more than 20 years. We are both from Cork and live in France. Similarly, Beckett was Irish and spent most of his life living in Paris.

People ask if that helps when working on his texts – I honestly don’t know if it does or not and did not plan it to be this way. It just sort of happened. I came to Beckett’s writing in my teens and I keep coming back to it. That’s it.

Don’t let anyone tell you why you’re doing something – only you can know that.

Team’s the word

Creating work is a collaborative process. I’m lucky to have had a very strong working relationship with Conor, the artists and crews I’ve worked with, and the people I meet when touring. They have all been an essential part of my working life; together we created work and shared it with a public.

Having a great team is important for working out what you’re interested in. But I wouldn’t advise you to go out and just find a team that thinks exactly like you. You should work with lots of different types of people as you will learn from being exposed to different approaches. If you can find the team to help you grow, perfect. But if not, don’t worry. Always try to work well with the people you are with – you’re always learning.

Judy Hegarty is Artistic Director of Gare St Lazare Players Ireland.
garestlazareireland.com

As told to Christy Romer

The Beckett in London festival runs at the Print Room at the Coronet from 17 May to 5 June and features four of Judy Hegarty’s productions.