Death Of A Salesman At Oberlin
"I have felt for a long time that Universities were potentially capable of opening exhilarating perspectives for modern theatre, and not as academic exercises. The central fact is that they contain an audience which is seeking rather than jaded, open to fresh experience rather than nostalgic for what it has comfortably known... the problem has been their separation from the professional artists, a separation that impoverishes both."
-Arthur Miller, 1974
Watch the trailer:
››› Click here to view additional videos
Directed by Justin Emeka '94, an assistant professor of theater and African-American studies at Oberlin, this Death of a Salesman — performed with a mixed-race cast — intends to bring new light to Miller's powerful portrait of how the American dream turns into a nightmare for one man and his family.
Avery Brooks, the distinguished stage, film and television actor known for his celebrated performances in roles from the classics to science fiction, will portray Willy Loman in this radical new interpretation of Arthur Miller's modern classic.
Oberlin's Death of a Salesman will step beyond the margins of standard-issue color-blind casting, boldly embracing nontraditional casting that incorporates the race and ethnicity of the actor into the role he or she is playing. All members of the Loman family are African-American; the woman with whom Willy has an affair is white; and the characters of Charley and Bernard are depicted as Jewish immigrants who fled Eastern Europe during the rise of the Third Reich.
Mr. Emeka -- who has set Salesman against the backdrop of a black family's struggles in a multicultural, multiethnic Brooklyn, New York during the 40's and 50's -- states, "If the American theater seeks to be more inclusive and representative of our country's diverse population, we must learn to explore the classics of American theater through diverse cultural perspectives."
Mr. Emeka considers his interpretation of Salesman to be the evolution of the argument presented by the late August Wilson in his memorable 1996 address to the Theatre Communications Group National Conference, "The Ground on Which I Stand," in which he opposed the practice of casting black actors in plays written for white actors and having them, "play white," casting them "in the role of mimics." The production also gained inspiration from Calvin Hernton (1932-2001), a scholar, critic, poet, and member of the Oberlin African American studies faculty for 27 years, who mentored both Brooks and Emeka during their student days.
Joining Mr. Brooks in Death of a Salesman will be a cast comprised of professional actors and Oberlin college students. Veteran New York actress Petronia Paley plays Linda Loman; Los Angeles-based Mark Jablon of ER portrays Charley; Justin Emeka plays Biff; and Oberlin student Raphael Sacks, fresh from his London debut in the English National Opera's Lost Highway, is Howard. Jazz musician Ralph Jones, a former student of Oberlin Conservatory professor Marcus Belgrave and the new faculty-in-residence at Oberlin's Afrikan Heritage House, will perform incidental music on stage during the play.
In the days surrounding the production run, cast and collaborators have scheduled special opportunities to discuss with the public their groundbreaking approach and its place in contemporary theater. On Saturday, September 20, at 4 p.m., director Justin Emeka will be joined by Arthur Miller scholar Enoch Brater and other cast members for "Arthur Miller's Cross-Cultural Exchanges," a discussion of diverse cultural perspectives in Miller's plays. Emeka also plans to schedule a discussion of nontraditional casting at Cleveland's historic Karamu House.
Public performances of Death of a Salesman are September 18, 19, and 20 at 8 p.m. and September 21 at 2 p.m at Hall Auditorium, located at 67 North Main Street in Oberlin, Ohio. Tickets are $12 for the general public, $8 for seniors ages 55 and older, and $5 for students, and can be reserved by calling Oberlin's Central Ticket Service at 440-775-8169 or 800-371-0178, or by visiting the box office in the lobby of Hall Auditorium. Box office hours are noon-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Ticket order forms can also be downloaded here.
In addition, the cast of Salesman will perform a special matinee for area schoolchildren on Thursday, September 18, at 11:00 a.m. Schools and teachers interested in learning more should contact Alexander Birnie at 440-775-8171 or Alexander.Birnie@oberlin.edu by August 29th. A limited number of tickets are available.
Avery Brooks has had a long and illustrious career on stage, film and television. While he is perhaps best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spin-off A Man Called Hawk, theater-goers know him for his compelling portrayal of Paul Robeson on Broadway and in theaters across the country. An accomplished classical actor, he played King Lear at Yale Rep, and Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, where he also recently played the title role in Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine. He played the lead role in the Anthony Davis opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. Since completing his studies at Oberlin, Brooks has returned to campus several times: as the college's first Artist-in-Residence, teacher of the Black Arts Workshop, and for performances including Paul Robeson. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary doctorate. A dedicated educator, he has also taught at Case Western Reserve and Rutgers universities and served as Artistic Director of the annual National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta.
Founded in 1833, Oberlin College was the first institution of higher education in America to adopt a policy to admit students of color (1835) and the first college to award bachelor's degrees to women (1841) in a coeducational program. The town of Oberlin was also an active member of the Underground Railroad. The town and college's heritage is one of respect for the individual and active concern for the community, particularly for social equality. Oberlin uniquely combines an outstanding professional conservatory of music with a leading undergraduate college of arts and sciences.
Many who studied at Oberlin have gone on to important performing careers, including Avery Brooks, Bill Irwin, Julie Taymor, Eric Bogosian, John Kander, James Burrows, Denyce Graves, and playwright Thornton Wilder.
Death of a Salesman is presented at Oberlin by the Office of the President, the Theater and Dance Program, the Sue Carroll Smith Fund, and the Department of African American Studies. Death of a Salesman is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
"I have felt for a long time that Universities were potentially capable of opening exhilarating perspectives for modern theatre, and not as academic exercises. The central fact is that they contain an audience which is seeking rather than jaded, open to fresh experience rather than nostalgic for what it has comfortably known... the problem has been their separation from the professional artists, a separation that impoverishes both."
-Arthur Miller, 1974
Watch the trailer:
››› Click here to view additional videos
Directed by Justin Emeka '94, an assistant professor of theater and African-American studies at Oberlin, this Death of a Salesman — performed with a mixed-race cast — intends to bring new light to Miller's powerful portrait of how the American dream turns into a nightmare for one man and his family.
Avery Brooks, the distinguished stage, film and television actor known for his celebrated performances in roles from the classics to science fiction, will portray Willy Loman in this radical new interpretation of Arthur Miller's modern classic.
Oberlin's Death of a Salesman will step beyond the margins of standard-issue color-blind casting, boldly embracing nontraditional casting that incorporates the race and ethnicity of the actor into the role he or she is playing. All members of the Loman family are African-American; the woman with whom Willy has an affair is white; and the characters of Charley and Bernard are depicted as Jewish immigrants who fled Eastern Europe during the rise of the Third Reich.
Mr. Emeka -- who has set Salesman against the backdrop of a black family's struggles in a multicultural, multiethnic Brooklyn, New York during the 40's and 50's -- states, "If the American theater seeks to be more inclusive and representative of our country's diverse population, we must learn to explore the classics of American theater through diverse cultural perspectives."
Mr. Emeka considers his interpretation of Salesman to be the evolution of the argument presented by the late August Wilson in his memorable 1996 address to the Theatre Communications Group National Conference, "The Ground on Which I Stand," in which he opposed the practice of casting black actors in plays written for white actors and having them, "play white," casting them "in the role of mimics." The production also gained inspiration from Calvin Hernton (1932-2001), a scholar, critic, poet, and member of the Oberlin African American studies faculty for 27 years, who mentored both Brooks and Emeka during their student days.
Joining Mr. Brooks in Death of a Salesman will be a cast comprised of professional actors and Oberlin college students. Veteran New York actress Petronia Paley plays Linda Loman; Los Angeles-based Mark Jablon of ER portrays Charley; Justin Emeka plays Biff; and Oberlin student Raphael Sacks, fresh from his London debut in the English National Opera's Lost Highway, is Howard. Jazz musician Ralph Jones, a former student of Oberlin Conservatory professor Marcus Belgrave and the new faculty-in-residence at Oberlin's Afrikan Heritage House, will perform incidental music on stage during the play.
In the days surrounding the production run, cast and collaborators have scheduled special opportunities to discuss with the public their groundbreaking approach and its place in contemporary theater. On Saturday, September 20, at 4 p.m., director Justin Emeka will be joined by Arthur Miller scholar Enoch Brater and other cast members for "Arthur Miller's Cross-Cultural Exchanges," a discussion of diverse cultural perspectives in Miller's plays. Emeka also plans to schedule a discussion of nontraditional casting at Cleveland's historic Karamu House.
Public performances of Death of a Salesman are September 18, 19, and 20 at 8 p.m. and September 21 at 2 p.m at Hall Auditorium, located at 67 North Main Street in Oberlin, Ohio. Tickets are $12 for the general public, $8 for seniors ages 55 and older, and $5 for students, and can be reserved by calling Oberlin's Central Ticket Service at 440-775-8169 or 800-371-0178, or by visiting the box office in the lobby of Hall Auditorium. Box office hours are noon-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Ticket order forms can also be downloaded here.
In addition, the cast of Salesman will perform a special matinee for area schoolchildren on Thursday, September 18, at 11:00 a.m. Schools and teachers interested in learning more should contact Alexander Birnie at 440-775-8171 or Alexander.Birnie@oberlin.edu by August 29th. A limited number of tickets are available.
Avery Brooks has had a long and illustrious career on stage, film and television. While he is perhaps best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spin-off A Man Called Hawk, theater-goers know him for his compelling portrayal of Paul Robeson on Broadway and in theaters across the country. An accomplished classical actor, he played King Lear at Yale Rep, and Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, where he also recently played the title role in Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine. He played the lead role in the Anthony Davis opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. Since completing his studies at Oberlin, Brooks has returned to campus several times: as the college's first Artist-in-Residence, teacher of the Black Arts Workshop, and for performances including Paul Robeson. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary doctorate. A dedicated educator, he has also taught at Case Western Reserve and Rutgers universities and served as Artistic Director of the annual National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta.
Founded in 1833, Oberlin College was the first institution of higher education in America to adopt a policy to admit students of color (1835) and the first college to award bachelor's degrees to women (1841) in a coeducational program. The town of Oberlin was also an active member of the Underground Railroad. The town and college's heritage is one of respect for the individual and active concern for the community, particularly for social equality. Oberlin uniquely combines an outstanding professional conservatory of music with a leading undergraduate college of arts and sciences.
Many who studied at Oberlin have gone on to important performing careers, including Avery Brooks, Bill Irwin, Julie Taymor, Eric Bogosian, John Kander, James Burrows, Denyce Graves, and playwright Thornton Wilder.
Death of a Salesman is presented at Oberlin by the Office of the President, the Theater and Dance Program, the Sue Carroll Smith Fund, and the Department of African American Studies. Death of a Salesman is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Rehearsal Entries
Reflecting On Death Of A Salesman
For me, the most exciting thing about working on this particular production of Death of a Salesman at this time,...
DAY 18 (Tuesday, September 9) First straight six
This is yet another scene in which small aspects changed now that we were in the final space.
DAY 17 (Sunday, September 7) Rework End Act II, Run
The cast went through the entirety of the show off-book, onstage for the first time...
DAY 16 (Saturday, September 6) beginning Act II, run Act I
One could say that this scene is the crux of Death of a Salesman, because it covers nearly every facet of Willy's relationship with his sons and the roles each man plays in relationship to the other
DAY 15 (Friday, September 5) Act I, scenes i-iii, Lines, Run End Act II
...which show the dynamic between Willy and Linda, between Biff and Happy, and the family dynamic in the past.
DAY 14 (Thursday, September 4) Lines, Fight, Act I
Right now, it's running a little long, but for the most part, it's looking good.
DAY 13 (Wednesday, September 3) Production Meeting and Getting On Stage...
that weird period of time in the middle of production, where we have been productive and are happy for that progress, but at the same time, we look forward to moving even further along.
Exclusive Death of a Salesman Video Interviews
Watch a video interview with director Justin Emeka, Avery Brooks and associate director Caroline Jackson Smith. Check out the entire...
DAY 12 (Tuesday, September 2) Act One
One of the issues of Willy's flashbacks is that every event and every word is questionable. There is no solid formula to determine whether something happened...
DAY 11 (Friday, August 29) Production Meeting
...we discussed the schedule and the events surrounding and involved in the production.
DAY 10 (Thursday, August 28) Act 2 Scene 7, Requiem, Stumble Through
It is for his final decision that the debate continues as to whether or not Willy is a tragic hero.
DAY 9 (Wednesday, August 27) Finish blocking Act 2 scenes 5 and 6; begin blocking scene 7
The interesting issue in this scene is that it is a gray area as to whether Willy is actually capable of hearing points that illustrate a past to which he does not want to be privy.
DAY 8 (Tuesday, August 26) Act 2 scene 1, Act 1 scene 1, Act 2 scene 7 a, and scenes 3-5
...another of Willy's flashbacks, which goes on to reveal the demise of his relationship with Biff.
DAY 7 (Monday, August 25) Act one rough blocking finished
...as soon as we finished the scene between the brothers, the cast and crew drifted into the next room.
DAY 6 (Saturday, August 23) Photos and Continue blocking Act One
...the potential consequences of their actions... frames what appears to be a grudge with issues of life and death.
DAY 5 (Friday, August 22) Continue blocking Act One
...the scenes are not following a logical progression... they are the memories of a troubled man whose mind is starving for the glory of years gone by. No person and no event is free of unconscious tampering...
DAY 4 (Thursday, August 21) Finish ACT II and Requiem and Blocking
The rehearsal rooms were filled with hard-working professionals, which required us all to work that much harder. We (the students) are able to benefit greatly when allowed the opportunity to watch more experienced individuals.
DAY 3 (Wednesday, August 20) ACT II
The turning point in Willy and Biff's relationship is finally explained, which also illustrates Biff's issues in his career path. Much is set in place in the first act to be explained in the second...
DAY 2 (Tuesday, August 19) ACT I
Death of a Salesman has always been a cerebral piece; the past overlaps and interacts with the present, and throughout one must be conscious of the fact that we see the past through Willy Loman's eyes.
Reflecting On Death Of A Salesman
For me, the most exciting thing about working on this particular production of Death of a Salesman at this time,...
DAY 18 (Tuesday, September 9) First straight six
This is yet another scene in which small aspects changed now that we were in the final space.
DAY 17 (Sunday, September 7) Rework End Act II, Run
The cast went through the entirety of the show off-book, onstage for the first time...
DAY 16 (Saturday, September 6) beginning Act II, run Act I
One could say that this scene is the crux of Death of a Salesman, because it covers nearly every facet of Willy's relationship with his sons and the roles each man plays in relationship to the other
DAY 15 (Friday, September 5) Act I, scenes i-iii, Lines, Run End Act II
...which show the dynamic between Willy and Linda, between Biff and Happy, and the family dynamic in the past.
DAY 14 (Thursday, September 4) Lines, Fight, Act I
Right now, it's running a little long, but for the most part, it's looking good.
DAY 13 (Wednesday, September 3) Production Meeting and Getting On Stage...
that weird period of time in the middle of production, where we have been productive and are happy for that progress, but at the same time, we look forward to moving even further along.
Exclusive Death of a Salesman Video Interviews
Watch a video interview with director Justin Emeka, Avery Brooks and associate director Caroline Jackson Smith. Check out the entire...
DAY 12 (Tuesday, September 2) Act One
One of the issues of Willy's flashbacks is that every event and every word is questionable. There is no solid formula to determine whether something happened...
DAY 11 (Friday, August 29) Production Meeting
...we discussed the schedule and the events surrounding and involved in the production.
DAY 10 (Thursday, August 28) Act 2 Scene 7, Requiem, Stumble Through
It is for his final decision that the debate continues as to whether or not Willy is a tragic hero.
DAY 9 (Wednesday, August 27) Finish blocking Act 2 scenes 5 and 6; begin blocking scene 7
The interesting issue in this scene is that it is a gray area as to whether Willy is actually capable of hearing points that illustrate a past to which he does not want to be privy.
DAY 8 (Tuesday, August 26) Act 2 scene 1, Act 1 scene 1, Act 2 scene 7 a, and scenes 3-5
...another of Willy's flashbacks, which goes on to reveal the demise of his relationship with Biff.
DAY 7 (Monday, August 25) Act one rough blocking finished
...as soon as we finished the scene between the brothers, the cast and crew drifted into the next room.
DAY 6 (Saturday, August 23) Photos and Continue blocking Act One
...the potential consequences of their actions... frames what appears to be a grudge with issues of life and death.
DAY 5 (Friday, August 22) Continue blocking Act One
...the scenes are not following a logical progression... they are the memories of a troubled man whose mind is starving for the glory of years gone by. No person and no event is free of unconscious tampering...
DAY 4 (Thursday, August 21) Finish ACT II and Requiem and Blocking
The rehearsal rooms were filled with hard-working professionals, which required us all to work that much harder. We (the students) are able to benefit greatly when allowed the opportunity to watch more experienced individuals.
DAY 3 (Wednesday, August 20) ACT II
The turning point in Willy and Biff's relationship is finally explained, which also illustrates Biff's issues in his career path. Much is set in place in the first act to be explained in the second...
DAY 2 (Tuesday, August 19) ACT I
Death of a Salesman has always been a cerebral piece; the past overlaps and interacts with the present, and throughout one must be conscious of the fact that we see the past through Willy Loman's eyes.
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