Beckett: Lieben 2026

Liverpool: 17-20 September 2026

Beckett: Lieben 2026 explores Beckett's fascination with German expressionism, which he first encountered through his relationship with the Sinclair family in Kassel in the 1930s. The full programme of theatre, music, visual art, photography, film, dance and discussion reflects the impact of German painters, writers and theatre makers on Beckett's life and oeuvre.

In keeping with this theme, world-renowned artist Sean Scully has made a Tree for Godot in bronze, which will be presented as an installation environment where the tree is both listener and speaker. A number of texts will respond to this rooting of the Tree in Liverpool, including a reading of Catherine Morris' Intimate Power: Autobiography of a City (2025) by the students of LIPA.

This iteration of the festival will see a double bill of Beckett's Play + Come and Go directed by Adrian Dunbar and Walter Asmus at the Everyman Playhouse Liverpool and perfomances of Quadrat I-II at LIPA. 

FREE tickets for Six Paintings, a concert which invites musicians to respond to six of Beckett's favourite paintings, are now available via the Tung Auditorium's website at https://thetungauditorium.com/events/beckett-lieben-2026-six-paintings. 

Please check back here in the coming months for updates on the programme. If you want to be added to the Institute of Irish Studies mailing list and be informed of our news and events, inluding Beckett: Lieben updates, please email irish@liverpool.ac.uk. 

Please find below a brief schedule of events, please note that this is subject to alterations.

Thursday 17 September                                                   

Friday 18 September

Saturday 19 September

Sunday 20 September

In the meantime, you can watch videos from our previous Beckett Festivals below, or browse their programmes at Beckett Unbound 2024 and Beckett Confined 2022.