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Theater Ensemble Arts provides a true community theater experience for its audience, who will have an opportunity to see Arthur Miller’s classic play Death of a Salesman Sept. 27-29 in the Connie Gotsch Theatre at San Juan College.
Death of a Salesman is told through the memories and dreams of Willy Loman, a traveling salesman, who is entering the golden years of his life with a declining mind.
“The story line is very subtly crafted,” said director Joey Herring. “There’s a level of intensity that continues to build throughout the story.”
Herring said because the show consists of Loman’s memories, “there’s a fine line between achieving the realism that the script requires and still portraying the flashback in a dreamlike quality.”
Death of a Salesman is considered one of the most critically acclaimed American plays of the 20th century. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 1949, and its Broadway revival won three Tony Awards.
The cast is made up of community members from many different backgrounds and careers. All cast members are volunteer actors, who dedicate six weeks of their life to putting a good show.
Ben Burns returned to Theater Ensemble Arts as Bernard in the play. A teacher, Burns said being the show “makes for a long day,” but he enjoys the opportunity to be on stage.
Chris Dietrich joined Theater Ensemble Arts for the first time with this cast. “I’ve played music for all of the Four Corners Musical Theater plays and I was in Baby. This is my first play with TEA,” he said.
Kevin Tschetter, who plays the role of Biff, said this has long been one of his favorite plays.
“I first read it when I was senior in high school, and I always wanted to be in it,” Tschetter said, adding that when the opportunity presented itself he auditioned and got the part he wanted.
Herring said her cast of a dozen actors worked hard to grasp and present this post WWII-era play.
“Some of the language is quite different from how we speak today, and I think for some of the actors accessing that language along with the high-level intensity was challenging,” Herring said. “The cast really rose to the challenge.”
Death of a Salesman will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 and 28 and at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the Connie Gotsch Theatre at San Juan College. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.
