Theatre of the Absurd

 So, a production of Waiting for Godot has been cancelled because auditions for this all-male play (five characters, all men, as stipulated by Beckett) had not been open to, er, women. This limitation went against the 'inclusion policy' of the University of Groningen, where the play was to be staged. Since Beckett's unenlightened time, said a university spokesman, 'times have changed', and the idea that only men were suitable for these (male) roles is 'outdated and even discriminatory'. So this 'open inclusive community' has closed down the production. Donegal native Oisin Moyne, who had hoped to make his directorial debut with Beckett's masterpiece, said bleakly that his life had become 'utterly absurd' over the past few weeks. As it happens, anyone proposing to stage Waiting for Godot has no choice but to cast men only, as the Beckett estate holds the rights and insists (rightly) on the author's instructions being strictly followed.