The Cast and Crew of Krapp’s Last Tape
Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) - Author
Samuel Beckett was one of the most important writers of the Twentieth-Century. Born in Foxrock Ireland Beckett attended Trinity University in Dublin. He moved to Paris France full time in 1937 and wrote in both French and English. During the Second World War, Beckett was a member of the French Resistance group Gloria SMH (Réseau Gloria) and was awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1949.
Beckett won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969 : “for his writing, which - in new forms for the novel and drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation”. His work has changed the face of literature.
Written in 1957, Krapp’s Last Tape is highly theatrical, brilliantly poignant, and surprisingly moving. A provocative portrait of a life stripped of companionship. The protagonist Krapp is caught between his recorded memories and the worn and lingering grimness of his present life. In an attempt to make sense of his decrepit life, Krapp listens to a 30 year old recording that chronicles the he lost his mother and broke it off with his lover; the year he lost the chance for a “single moment of happiness”. Yet somehow, in the midst of the desolate bleakness of his dotage Krapp discovers that his current cynical worldview is overshadowed by his memories of life, and love.
Krapp's Last Tape is a brilliant stage play written by 20th Century playwright Samuel Beckett. Performed at the Artist's Entrance at Santa Monica Playhouse, this production will be a very intimate evening of theatre. Like Beckett's more famous plays, Waiting for Godot and Endgame, Krapp's last Tape is a hauntingly beautiful tale of a lonely man searching for meaning told in Beckett's inimitible poetic style.
Unfortunately for some, the theatre is not wheelchair accessible as it requires walking up two flights of stairs.
Tony Cronin is Krapp
Tony Cronin is a writer, actor, and director living and working in Los Angeles. Since receiving his MFA from Cornell Tony has worked in theatre, film, and television. He has appeared on stage in New York, LA, and the UK, has appeared in major motion pictures, and has been a regular performer at LA Opera since 2011. Tony has written several produced stage plays, two novels, and a book on how to perform Shakespeare’s plays, Reading Shakespeare. He is currently Artistic Director of Theatre for a Small Space and has directed The Tempest, King Lear, Hamlet, Waiting for Godot, The Merchant of Venice, and Endgame in the past few years. Tony is currently working on his third novel, American Lawmann.
Bailey Stockhecke - Stage Manager
Bailey is excited to stage manage her first production with Theatre for a Small Space at Santa Monica Playhouse. Hailing from central Illinois, she graduated with a BA in Theatre in 2021, professionally stage managed at Bradley University Theatre for several productions from '23 to '24, and worked at Illinois Shakespeare Festival this past summer on Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Campfire Macbeth (TYA) before moving to the LA area last fall. Recently, she has had the pleasure of stage managing for the youth theatre program at Laguna Playhouse and various venues at Universal Studios Hollywood, such as WaterWorld Stunt Show. She’s thankful for the opportunity to work on Krapp and record more memories here in Southern California.
Frank Raducz - Sound Design
Frank Raducz hails form Butler PA. He received his BFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts. Frank has played Jarred in Excuse for a Swordfight, Macbeth in the Scottish Play, Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, Edgar in King Lear, and Jaques in As You Like it. He has appeared in film and television and studies philosophy late into the night.
Peyton Whiteside - Designer
Peyton Whiteside is a scenic and props designer for theater and film, with a strong passion for stage and production management .
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA , she had the privilege of working in stage management and scenic design at Santa Rosa Junior College and the Summer Repertory Theatre Festival. She graduated with a BA in Theater Production and Design at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television.
When not working in the theater, Peyton is an avid painter and multimedia artist; she especially loves puppetry, sculpting, digital art and painting. She is passionate about rock-climbing and backpacking and hopes to someday thru-hike the 2,650-mile Pacific Coast Trail!
As an artist, her mission is to support the art of marginalized, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. She believes that these stories enhance the human experience, instill empathy and help us to see the world in new ways.
