Academy Award winning actress, Estelle Parsons will tackle what is considered one of the most challenging roles in twentieth century theatre with Samuel Beckett's Happy Days at Hartford Stage, Oct. 22-Nov. 22.

The opening image of Happy Days is Winnie, buried waist deep in a huge mound of dirt, performing the dreary tasks of everyday life with a painstakingly optimistic demeanor. Her and her husband, Willie, fight to survive life through the performance of these mundane rituals.

Beckett, one of the few playwrights this century to have won a Nobel Prize for Literature, is also the author of Waiting for Godot, Krapp's Last Tape, and Endgame.

Parsons won acclaim and a 1968 Academy Award for "Bonnie and Clyde", she has appeared in numerous other films including "Rachel, Rachel", "Boys On The Side", and "Looking for Richard." She also played on television's "Roseanne" from 1989-1997.

Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, starring Estelle Parsons, plays at Hartford Stage, Oct. 22 - Nov. 22. For tickets or more information, call (860) 527-5151. -- By Sean McGrath