A Different Set Design for “Waiting for Godot”; A Tunnel Inspired by the Subway
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, the set and costume designer of Waiting for Godot, Soutra Gilmour, was repeatedly confronted during the process of creating a new Broadway version of Samuel Beckett’s famous play with questions about what the massive structure on stage actually represented—was it the trunk of a tree, or an endless void?
Waiting for Godot has long been one of the staple and most important works of New York theatre, featuring prominent actors in various productions over the years. In the new version directed by Jamie Lloyd, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves play the two men who spend their days waiting for Godot to arrive.
In this latest production, the familiar park bench and iconic tree are gone. In their place stands a massive concrete tunnel, more reminiscent of an abstract sculpture. The set design is largely minimalist, and Jamie Lloyd says he has always believed that there is a great deal of information on stage—even if not everything is presented in a direct or realistic way. According to him, the road is still present in Waiting for Godot, but not in its traditional, literal form; rather, this version represents their personal interpretation of that space.
Lloyd has previously reimagined classical works, including recent projects such as Sunset Boulevard and Evita. He says that if a new production simply resembles previous versions, there is no real reason to remake it—especially for a play like Waiting for Godot, which has been staged countless times around the world.
The central idea for the set design began in an unexpected place: the New York City subway. Gilmour was working on technical rehearsals for Sunset Boulevard at the time, but she was also discussing the next production, Waiting for Godot, with Jamie Lloyd.
She recalls seeing a man in the subway who appeared to be homeless and was living within that environment. After sitting down, he carefully removed his outer clothing, revealing another set of black garments underneath that resembled nightwear. He then neatly folded his clothes and placed them in his backpack. Gilmour says she immediately felt as though she had stepped into a Waiting for Godot-like world. What struck her most was the man’s need to mark the transition between day and night, even in such a harsh environment.
This idea of the passage of time and the search for meaning within it became one of the central themes of Beckett’s play. From there, new questions emerged for the creative team: what does a rural road mean in today’s world? Is it still the poetic image of a tree and a bench, or is it now a space beneath highways and beside industrial structures?
As the production developed, Jamie Lloyd, Alex Winter, and Keanu Reeves were all influenced by the absence of a realistic setting, which led to further questions: where exactly are these characters? Are they trapped in an experiment? Are they being observed by someone?
In search of answers, Gilmour turned to images of concrete tunnels and massive industrial pipes. She says she never initially intended to remove the tree or bench, but eventually arrived at a circular, hollow structure—a kind of void in which the characters interact.
This tunnel-like structure was so large that audiences could look into it. According to Gilmour, this scale gave it meaning: the characters appeared very small inside it, yet the presence of a young boy within the space created a sense of power. She explains that the relationship between the set architecture and the actors developed in a strange and fascinating way.
Throughout the performance, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves made strong use of the set, constantly interacting with the environment—pushing themselves into it and moving through it. Gilmour says the space gradually evoked the feeling of a hamster wheel and entrapment, an emotion that is easily recognizable to audiences.
She explains that the circular form of the tunnel carries a certain softness and calmness, while its enormous scale creates something almost monstrous. This contrast allows the space both to contain the characters and to imprison them, framing them while also exposing them.
Gilmour, who also designed the costumes for the production, made a deliberate choice for the character of the boy, dressing him in a small cream-colored hoodie so that he would feel like part of the environment itself—as if the set had taken human form.
The set design became a central topic of discussion among audiences throughout the run. Gilmour says many people asked her whether the structure represented the inside of a tree. In her view, the team succeeded in creating an image in which audiences could find their own interpretation of the play’s visual world.
