ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S THOUGHTS
REGARDING MR. LOMAN
There once were giants that roamed the American theatre. Playwrights and actors who not only breathed life into the stages most memorable works, but who, by just the sheer force of their talent, transformed the American stage. Principally among the playwrights stood Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, and the great Tennessee Williams. They created a veritable new pantheon of characters that stand as icons on their own. George and Martha from Whose Afraid if Virginia Woolf? Brick and Maggie from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. But for Arthur Miller the character that became the most indelible of all was and will always be, Willy Loman. And on April 17th Willy finally comes home to TCT as we present Death of a Salesman.
It funny that after nearly seventy years TCT has missed producing this play. Never having been produced in a dinner theatre isn’t shocking, but then again TCT has never been just a dinner theatre. I’m more than proud of the catalogue of plays and musicals we have offered. But what’s so special about this play anyway, and why should we care? Mainly because this play still has the bite it has always possessed. It’s not about a hero, or even a great man. Just a man. One of us. And we witness his final hours on this Earth as he grapples to leave behind some vestige of his life that his son will take pride in. His tragedy is ours. And it’s honest, and at times brutal, but nevertheless breathtaking.
Make no mistake, this is a powerful drama and is rightly considered one of the most important plays of the last century. Yet TCT has never produced it before. And, though many of you may have encountered the play in high school or even college, I bet few of you have ever seen it live. I haven’t, and theatre is my life. So why is it so rare to see Death of a Salesman on stage? If it’s so important, why don’t more theatres offer this and other works of Arthur Miller? Well, the biggest reason seems to be the nature of the play. This is a drama, and a pretty heavy one at that. The casual theatre go-er is less likely to buy a ticket for such heavy shows.
In my life the playwrights that have had the greatest impact on me have always been, Tennessee Williams, Henrik Ibsen, William Shakespeare, Edward Albee, and of course Arthur Miller. All celebrated playwrights with a long list of truly remarkable plays. But they’re seldom produced on a community theatre season. Aside from Williams’ Glass Menagerie and Miller’s Crucible, (TCT has mounted these plays twice each), the body of work for most of these authors is box office poison. I hear it all the time, “I come to the theatre to relax, not think.”
But there’s a special reason to be presenting Death of a Salesman today. It seems more poignant than ever considering today’s troubled economy. TCTA planned out our calendars far in advance. In fact, we’ve set a season all the way through August of 2010 already. So when the Play Reading Committee selected Death of a Salesman over a year ago, none of us could have known how timely it would be today. In an environment of down-sizing and lay-offs, the plight of Willy Loman seems all too real. As working men and women are faced with real dilemmas of how they can possibly pay the mortgage or keep ahead of creditors, we all feel a little “Loman-esque”.
Plus, this show features a special program that I could not be more proud of. In 2001 TCT started offering high school matinees and yet there are still many people who have no idea we even do it, even though we’ve done it nearly every year since it started.
Since the 2000/01 season, TCT has been committed to one classic each season and offered it to area schools for a daytime matinee. With the exception of only the 2006/07 season, we’ve proudly brought such classics as Of Mice and Men, The Crucible, Inherit the Wind, The Lion in Winter, and three different Shakespeare productions to life on our stage. Were they the biggest sellers? No. But over eight hundred area schools attended Macbeth just last year, it was an opportunity few schools ever have and we’re proud to do our part in presenting such noble work on our stage.
The next student matinee is Wednesday April 22.Area schools can make their reservations now for Death of a Salesman. For more information call the box office at 357-5211 and make sure your school knows about this terrific opportunity!
And even if you’re not a student, and even if you don’t like to “think” at a play, see Death of a Salesman this April. Don’t cheat yourself out of such an opportunity either. It’s worth the trip!
Sincerely,
Shannon Reilly – Artistic Director – TCTA