In 2024, Annette Trossbach retired as the Laboratory Theater of Florida’s first and only Artistic Director. She was succeeded by Todd Lyman, but he soon departed for health reasons. So, co-founder Nykkie Rizley filled the void with Waner Del Rosario stepping in as Board President.
And the Southwest Florida theater community held its breath, waiting to see if The Lab would survive intact or have to compromise its reputation to fill seats and attract donors and sponsors.
“Our foundational mission is unwavering — to build our community by creating a theatrical experience that unites people from all walks of life,” Rizley emphasized. “We're a space dedicated to presenting the human experience in all of its rich diversity. And we plan on continuing those core values.”
We really do like to entertain, yes, but we want to make sure that you're thinking about what you see onstage,” Del Rosario added. “It will start that conversation with your neighbors, with your friends. It'll make you laugh, make you cry, make you think about the arts and how that impacts our community yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”
And so, says Del Rosario, The Lab’s focus is on classical pieces of theater along with giving voice to provocative new plays and musicals.
“We are intentionally picking our plays to be thought-provoking,” he said. “We love good, funny shows, but we want to make sure that there's a message behind every show as well.”
The theater’s 2026-2027 season opener is, fittingly, “Waiting for Godot.”
Few plays have permeated popular culture as deeply. Its title alone has become shorthand for endless waiting and futile expectation.
“We want to be a place where we could do risky theater that other places weren't doing,” Rizley said.
Waiting for Godot” is onstage Aug. 20 through Sept. 6.
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A foundational masterpiece of the Theatre of the Absurd, “Waiting for Godot” is a profound, darkly comic, and hauntingly beautiful exploration of the human condition, hope, and the persistent search for meaning in an uncertain world. “Waiting for Godot” remains a timeless cultural touchstone because it captures fundamental human experiences.
Synopsis
On a barren road beside a single, withering tree, two men wait for a mysterious figure who never arrives. Vladimir and Estragon stand on a desolate country road, passing the time with philosophical arguments, comedic wordplay, and mundane distractions as they wait for the enigmatic Mr. Godot. Their vigil is interrupted only by the arrival of the domineering Pozzo and his burdened servant, Lucky, whose presence highlights the strange dynamics of power and dependency.
“At times a hilarious slapstick comedy, other times a reminder that life doesn’t make sense and sometimes neither does art, ‘Waiting for Godot’ is a timeless classic about how to kill time without running out of it,” said Director Madelaine Weymouth.
Historical significance
“Waiting for Godot” is Samuel Beckett’s most famous work. It is characterized by an absence of plot. Instead of a linear narrative, the play offers a cyclical, dreamlike experience where "nothing happens, twice.”
Through Vladimir and Estragon’s repetitive, cyclical dialogue, Beckett explored what it means to endure when nothing ever changes. The play’s barren landscape, its sense of suspended time, and its alternating moments of slapstick and silence all reinforce the absurdity of human life.
The mysterious figure of Godot—who never appears—embodies the elusive hope or meaning that humans endlessly seek. Beckett refused to confirm whether Godot symbolized God, salvation, or simply life’s unanswered questions, insisting that “if I knew, I would have said so.” That ambiguity has become the heart of its power, allowing audiences to find their own reflections within its emptiness.
Pop culture references
“Waiting for Godot” is now part of American pop culture. References can be found in cartoons and children’s show such as “The Simpsons” and “Sesame Street,” as well as in television sitcoms such as “Seinfeld” and “The Big Bang Theory.” It is also mentioned in Tom Stoppard’s comedy “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.”
The play has also attracted a number of well-known actors, including Burgess Meredith and Zero Mostel (who performed in the 1956 Broadway production), Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Nathan Lane, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (in the 2009 Broadway revival) and Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter (in the 2025 Broadway revival). Each has brought a new layer of humanity and humor to Beckett’s timeless text. The play’s sparse setting and demanding dialogue make it both an actor’s challenge and a showcase for extraordinary performances.
Continuing vitality
“Godot” remains remarkably relevant given the uncertainty, isolation, and constant anticipation that characterizes today’s social and political landscape. The play offers few answers, but it does spark thought and conversation, which accords well with the mission espoused by Lab Theatre Artistic Director Nykkie Rizley and Board President Waner Del Rosario.
Cast
Vladimir: Daniel Sabiston
Estragon: TJ Albertson
Pozzo: Art Keen
Lucky: Chris Noonan
Tickets
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students.
Tickets may be purchased at www.laboratorytheaterflorida.com or by calling the box office at 239.291.2905.
Performance dates:
2 p.m. matinees are Aug. 23, 29 and 30 and Sept. 6
7:30 p.m. evening shows are Aug. 21, 22, 27 and 28 and Sept. 3, 4 & 5.
There is a half-price preview at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 20.
About Waner Del Rosario, president
A professional with experience spanning the arts, technology, and aviation sectors, Waner Del Rosario brings to the Laboratory Theater board a unique blend of creative vision, technical expertise, and a passion for community engagement. He has demonstrated an ability to excel in diverse environments, from captivating audiences onstage in theatrical productions such as Lynn Nottage’s “Clyde’s” Rafael), “Noises Off” (Garry/Roger) and “Clue on Stage" (Mr. Green) to leading and managing IT solutions as the founder of Dreniam Technology Solutions and Technology Education Leader at Lee Health.
His commitment to education and community is further evidenced by his role as a public speaking instructor at “Camp HSR!”, a homeschool day camp.
Serving on the board for The Laboratory Theater, Waner hopes to leverage his diverse skillset to increase access to the arts community, creating platforms for underrepresented voices and fostering a more inclusive artistic landscape.
About Artistic Director and Vice-President Nykkie Rizley
Nykkie Rizley is a founding member, vice president and director of The Laboratory Theater of Florida. Her directing credits include “Killer Joe,” “Hand to God,” “Veronica’s Room,” Lab’s Shakespearean classic “Twelfth Night,” “The House of Yes,” “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “BUG.” In addition to judging 24-hour playwriting projects for the Lab, Nykkie teaches theater classes at Lab Theater (including Acting I and II as well as Acting for Seniors). Nykkie has a degree in Theater Prop Design from Grand Valley State University in Michigan (she’s a Laker) and trained in both Chicago and New York.
Her “day job” is serving as director of operations at Royal Shell Vacations and president of FAVR.
About The Laboratory Theater of Florida
The Laboratory Theater of Florida is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The theater is dedicated to the promotion of the performing arts through live performance, education, community outreach, experimentation, and the development of ensemble work. The company features ensemble productions, produces classic works, takes artistic risks which both feature and challenge local performers. The physical location is at 1634 Woodford Ave., in the Fort Myers River District.
For more information visit www.LaboratoryTheaterFlorida.com.
‘Waiting for Godot’ production history.
Samuel Beckett began writing “En attendant Godot” in post-war 1948 France.
The story reflects his experiences as a courier for the French Resistance during World War II, which shaped his outlook on humanity, existence, and the absurdity of life’s routines, and the meaning — or meaninglessness — of life. In this, he was profoundly influenced by the writings of existential philosophers Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, as well as the experimental language of his mentor, James Joyce. The result was a text that rejected traditional structure, plot, and resolution, yet resonated profoundly with a world still grappling with uncertainty.
Waiting for Godot premiered on Jan. 5, 1953, at the tiny Théâtre de Babylone in Paris.
The audiences who saw the play’s early performances were conflicted. The play’s minimalist set, plot and dialogue, featuring two tramps talking endlessly as they waited under a barren tree for someone who never arrives was unlike anything they had ever seen before.
While many hated the play, others concluded they had just witnessed a revolutionary, groundbreaking production destined to change the course of dramatic theater. Interest and attendance grew by word of mouth. Within months, the play ascended to the stature of cultural touchstone, sparking debates about the nature, purpose and future of theater.
Beckett wrote the play in French. As the play gained popularity and critical acclaim, he translated his script into English.
The first English-language production opened in London in 1955 at the Arts Theatre. Theater critics there were equally polarized. Some hailed “Waiting for Godot” as genius. Other ridiculed the play as nonsense. But audiences were captivated by Beckett’s strange blend of comedy and despair.
“Godot” jumped the pond in 1956 – not as a Broadway production, but rather as a national tour. It didn’t do well financially, but it ended up on Broadway later that year.
Ironically, a 1957 production at California’s San Quentin Prison cemented “Godot’s” legacy in the annals of theater history. The inmates who performed in the play identified deeply with the play’s themes of waiting and confinement. Word of their reaction spread. From there, “Godot” traveled around the world, taking on new political or spiritual meanings in different cultures.
Over the decades, “Godot” has been performed in bombed-out theaters, refugee camps, and even in war-torn Sarajevo in the 1990s as a gesture of defiance and endurance. Each staging reinforces the play’s timeless message that waiting, despair, and hope are constants of the human condition. And major revivals have brought fresh insight, such as the 2009 Broadway production starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, which emphasized the tender friendship at the play’s core.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
