Krapp's Last Tape
By Samuel Beckett
Krapp's Last Tape is a journey through an old man's life, filled with hilarious memories and hopes for the future, coupled with the mourning of lost love and unfulfilled ambition. Revel in Samuel Beckett's classic play, as audiences are invited into Krapp's world of solitude, reflection, dreams, elation, and despair.
Brought to life in disused function rooms, underground vaults, former jails, and dusty factories, we are transported to a land of joy, sadness, lost ambition, love, madness, and hope.
This production, directed by Academy Award nominee Stockard Channing and starring David Westhead, tours theatres and site-specific venues globally throughout 2026 and 2027.
Trailer
Director and Lead Actor
Stockard Channing
Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning, Stockard Channing brings her unique directorial vision to this production, exploring the intricate layers of Beckett's masterpiece and Krapp's solitary world.
interview with Stockard about the play
David Westhead
A veteran of The Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, multi-award-winning actor David Westhead embodies the complexities of Krapp, delivering a performance that is by turns powerful, funny and deeply moving.
Audience Reviews
“Just terrific … such a wonderful piece of work. Brilliant, outrageous, and a tribute to the vaudeville that exists in Beckett … heartbreaking.” John McAndrew, Royal Shakespeare Company
“A magical evening in a wonderfully evocative setting
full of ghosts …” Duncan Duff, Royal National Theatre
“A fantastic night. Unforgettable actually.” Kelly Hunter MBE, Flute Theatre Company
“Fantastic performance from David Westhead - Ms Channing clearly kicked him into shape. My daughter said it was the best thing she had ever seen!” Ed Stobart, Director, Alleycats Film and TV
“Absolutely amazing performance.” David Magliano, MBE, Director of Strategy, London Olympic Games
“A really wonderful evening … absolutely the most perfect setting and production and, of course, performance.” Adrian Dannatt, actor, author, editor, artist
“Just the same old Krapp, but somehow better than ever …” Andrew Darnton, independent researcher in behavioural theory and systems change.
“What a stirring and remarkable performance by David Westhead in the perfect setting!” Lucy Lubbock, Art Historian
“Just so special - a fabulous performance …” Claudia Selby, TV producer and director
“Monday night was a revelation for me. To be in that small space and witness how, from nothing and nowhere, David Westhead transformed into the eponymous “Krapp” was mesmerising. Without getting too purple, I found Westhead’s performance quite magical … producing from within, an entirely formed and believable elderly man, auditing his life and times and raging at his end of days. Hopefully, with regards to Stockard Channing’s beautiful, edgy production, it will not encounter the dying of the light for many years to come.” Geoffrey Seed, BBC Panorama and novelist
“Outstanding performance by one of UK's leading character actors. It was a privilege to see it such a small, intimate environment - it was an unforgettable night.” Bridget Whelan, University Lecturer
“Lovely visit to Midlands Art Centre to see David Westhead in Krapp's Last Tape, directed by the very lovely Stockard Channing. Great to see a full house for this Beckett play. My first bit of Beckett.” Jax Sheppard, Fine Art Curator
Press
Krapp’s Last Tape – “intense and compelling”
Birmingham Press / 23 September, 2024
Jessica Harris of The Birmingham Press visits the Midlands Arts Centre for a Samuel Beckett classic.
David Westhead and Stockard Channing are keen to stress the teamwork that went into their production of this masterpiece by Samuel Beckett, and the resulting show at MAC was a stunner. As the Beckett Estate has determined that Beckett’s works must be produced and performed within the parameters of his detailed stage directions, there is little room for interpretation by those who choose to stage his works. Everything comes down to the acting and, in the case of Krapp’s Last Tape, to the ability of one man to hold that stage. Westhead, intense and compelling, and returning to the theatre after several years of absence, looked as if he had never been away.
Krapp, at the age of 69, looks back over his life and tries to make sense of it through listening to recordings he made as a younger man, recordings which diarise the daily events of his life. As he listens, he recounts the bitterness of lost loves, unachieved ambitions and of too many nights of drinking in solitude. Westhead is in complete control of this material, his performance charged at times with hope and passion, and at other times with cynicism and regret.
The set, a desk covered with boxes of spools and the all-important reel-to-reel tape recorder, enables Krapp to travel back in time and relive his earlier years. Sometimes it substitutes for an old lover as he cradles it in his arms. Lighting kept the gaze on this spot, making Krapp at his desk appear to be frozen in time. And, as he hurls tapes to the floor, it is the derision in which he holds his past life and his seeming denial that there was ever any reason to hope in the first place that really bites. This is nihilism without the saving grace of existentialism.
Krapp’s Last Tape was performed by David Westhead and directed by Stockard Channing. Its performance at MAC clearly intrigued its audiences since large numbers stayed on for a question and answer session.
A selection of notices gathered from The Reviews Hub / Inside London / Reuters:
“A magnetic production. Channing’s directing powers are spot on.”
“Westhead’s performance is mesmerising”
“We forget we are at the theatre and believe we are witnessing a real person, perhaps a hoarder, surrounded by the detritus of their life as they reenact the past through the ghostly voice of a younger self”
“This is something special, a memorable artistic collaboration and cultural happening”
“If it arrives near you, you’d be crazy to miss it”
“5 Stars. Excellent. Stockard Channing turns Krapp to gold”
“Excellent. Despite the scale of the auditorium, Westhead has an uncanny ability to make it feel as though he is entirely alone - a real testament to his skill as an actor”
“In giving us this version of Krapp’s Last Tape, Channing and Westhead have created a legacy for themselves, a relatable, credible character brought to life in front of our eyes.
I don’t think he will mind too much if I assert that David Westhead is truly Krapp.”
Technical Specifications
Running Time: 50 minutes (or 1 hour 20 mins with Q&A)
Auditorium: Any space capable of accommodating 50+ audience members
Stage area (bare floor) minimum dimensions: 2.5m x 2.5m
Same day get in (90 mins max) and get out (1 hour max)
Q&As
David and Stockard are more than happy to run 30-minute post-show Q&As. These usually begin with a talk about how the production came about and then open up to discussion with the audience. They can either be run independently or using a presenter from the venue to chair proceedings.
Workshops
Acting masterclasses for up to 20 people can be run either pre- or post- show. They normally last for 90 minutes. No previous acting experience necessary.
Thanks to
Anthony Roberts and all at Colchester Arts Centre, Roc Sandford and The Paddington Club, John Phillips, Jem Wall, Chris Cope, Geoff Kirzynowski, Pete Spokes, Billy Westhead, John Cole, Claudia Selby, Tom Dalton and Brown Bear Studios, Anne Clarke at Landmark Productions, Jenn Morgan and Katie Garvin at Curtis Brown, and The Beckett Estate.
Photographs © Alfred Westhead unless stated.
Producer
Alfred Westhead for Wilton Pictures:
westy63@hotmail.co.uk
Executive Producers
Anthony Roberts: anthony@colchesterartscentre.com
John Phillips: john.captivelight@gmail.com
Jem Wall: jem.wall@hydrocracker.co.uk
This production of "Krapp's Last Tape" tours worldwide throughout 2026 and 2027, aimed at diverse audiences and cultures, both in bustling urban centres as well as remote, often forgotten communities.
Tour Schedule
- 2024 Apr 4
- Colchester Arts Centre
- 2024 Jun 11
- London Paddington Club
- 2024 Sep 23
- Birmingham MAC, Midlands Arts Centre
- 2025 Feb 3
- Whitehawk, Walter May House
- 2025 Mar 11
- East Sussex College
- 2025 Apr 7–13
- Brighton Regency Town House
- 2025 Jul 4–5
- The Exchange Theatre, Twickenham
- 2025 Jul 8
- Royal Variety Club, Brinsworth House
- 2025 Jul 11–12
- 8 Marvila Arts Community, Lisbon
- 2025 Oct 3–5
- Electric Lodge (Part 1), Los Angeles
- 2025 Oct 10–12
- Electric Lodge (Part 2), Los Angeles
- 2025 Oct 18
- The Exchange Theatre, Twickenham
- 2025 Oct 31
- Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
- 2025 Nov 1
- Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
- 2025 Nov 13
- Hastings Kino-Teatr
- 2026 Jan 29
- The Met, Bury
- 2026 Jan 30–31
- East Riding Theatre, Beverley
- 2026 Feb 5
- Stanley Arts, South Norwood
- 2026 Feb 6–7
- Mill Studio, Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
- 2026 Feb 18
- Aberystwyth
- 2026 Mar 7
- Quay Arts, Isle of Wight
- 2026 Mar 27–28
- Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
- 2026 Apr 4
- Calder Theatre
- 2026 Apr 16
- Dorchester Arts Centre
- 2026 Apr 27–28
- Tobacco Factory, Bristol
- 2026 May 7
- Sherling Studio, Poole Lighthouse
- 2026 Jul 22
- Ropetackle, Shoreham
- 2026 Jul 24–25
- Calder Theatre (2 shows nightly, 7pm & 8.15pm)
- 2026 Jul 26
- Thorington Theatre
- 2026 Aug 7–31
- Edinburgh Festival, Assembly Festival – Upstairs at the Roxy
- 2026 Sep 3
- McRoberts Arts Centre, Stirling
- 2026 Sep 9
- Epstein Theatre, Liverpool
- 2026 Sep 11
- Two Sisters, Felixstowe
- 2026 Sep 17
- Chelmsford Theatre
- 2026 Sep 25
- Farnham Maltings
- 2026 Sep 30
- The Spring Arts Centre, Havant
- 2026 Oct 1
- Cornerstone, Didcot
- 2026 Oct 2
- The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock
- 2026 Oct 3
- Theatrebarn, Bretforton
- 2026 Oct 15
- Junction, Goole
- 2026 Oct 16
- Norden Farm, Maidenhead
- 2026 Nov 4
- Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead
- 2026 Nov 7
- Tower Theatre, Folkestone
- 2026 Nov 14
- Eden Court, Inverness
- 2026 Nov 17
- Beacon Arts, Greenock
“Krapp's Last Tape”
An unforgettable exploration of the human soul.
