Who/What is Godot reimagines Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot through the lenses of abolitionist theatre and drama therapy, exploring themes of waiting, hope, and systemic oppression. This reinterpretation aligns with the transformative power of performance in carceral settings, as exemplified by Spoon Jackson—a poet serving a life sentence in California. In 1988, while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, Jackson portrayed Pozzo in a production of Waiting for Godot directed by Swedish director Jan Jonson. This experience was pivotal in Jackson's artistic journey, leading him to discover his voice as a writer and poet. Baker-Nauman's work draws parallels between the existential waiting depicted in Beckett's play and the lived experiences of incarcerated individuals, highlighting how drama therapy can serve as a medium for personal expression and societal critique. By integrating the narratives of those like Jackson, Who/What is Godot? underscores the potential of theatre to challenge oppressive systems and foster healing within marginalized communities.
» Lynn Baker-Nauman, MA, LMFT, RDT, is an Adjunct Professor of Social Work/Human Services and Theatre at Folsom Lake College for the Prison Re-entry Education Program and for Cal State Dominguez Hills MA program for Humanities in CDCR prisons. She has taught and directed Shakespeare to groups in multiple prisons in Northern California. Lynn is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Drama Therapist doing trauma work with individuals and couples. As a social justice advocate, Lynn believes in our ability to re-story and connect with our power to heal through theatre. She has published in Drama Therapy Review and the edited collection Into Abolitionist Theatre: A Guidebook for Liberatory Theatre-making.
