* DEATH OF A SALESMAN * Have a Coke
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NOTICE-The exit indicated by a red light and sign. nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of emergency please do not run-WALK TO THAT EXIT. Please do not light Matches in this Theatre. It is not only Dangerous. but it is a Violation of the Law and any Offender is Liable to Arrest.
____KERMIT BLOOMGARDEN and WALTER FRIED Present
ELlA KAZAN'S Production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Directed by DEL HUGHES
With DUNCAN BALDWIN SYLVIA DAVIS Setting and Lighting by [o Mielziner Music Composed by Alex North Costumes by Julia Sze
(Continued)
Memphis Hardwood Flooring Company
Memphis. Tenn.
"America's 24 Hour Host" PR 0 GRAM- Continued
CAST (In Order of Appearance)
WILLY LOMAN .._.._...._.._..._.._.. Duncan Baldwin LINDA . . Sylvia Davis HAPPY . Ted Jordan BIFF .Steven Ritch BERNARD John Devoe THE WOMAN Nancy Cushman CHARLEY ---Arthur Tell UNCLE BEN . . . . Frederic Downs HOWARD WAGNER. .. Mark Allen JENNY _ . Constance Dix STANLEY . Andrew Sabilia MISS FORSYTHE .Lynne Rogers LETTA . Janice Mars SECOND WAITER. _ _ _. .Ed Horner
The action of the play is in two parts. It takes place in Willy Loman's house . • • its bedrooms, kitchen basement, front porch and back yard and in various offices and places he visits in New York City and Boston today. There will be one intermission. -~' (Continued)
MEMPHIS HOTEL ASSOCIATION * * * ADLER HOTEL KING COTTON HOTEL AMBASSADOR 'HOTEL PARKVIEW HOTEL
CHISCA HOTEL PEABODY HOTEL CLARIDGE HOTEL TENNESSEE HOTEL
GA YOSO HOTEL WILLIAM LEN HOTEL GEORGE VINCENT HOTEL PRO G RAM - Continued
CREDITS
Scenery buill and painted by Kaj Velden. Electrical equipment by Century Lighting Co., Inc. Properties by Joe Lynn. Velour curtains and gauze by Kaj Velden. Flowers by Universal Flower Company. Wire re- corders by Air King Products Co. Lighters by Alfred Dunhill, Inc. Luggage by Tommy Traveller. Costumes by Brooks Costume Co. Women's hats by Mr. John, Inc. Jewelry by Coro. Handbags by Bienen-Davis, Inc. Seam- free stockings by Holiday, Inc. Men's shirts by Essley Shirt Co. Period luggage by Mark Cross Co. Furs by Frederica. Park & Tilford Products used. Assistant Designer to Mr. Mielziner-John Harvey
STAFF FOR KERMIT BLOOMGARDEN and WALTER FRIED Company Manager ------Jack Schlissel Press Representative ------Joe Shea Executive Secretary ------Anne Ross Gordon Stage Manager Norman Hall Asst. Stage Manager ------Ed Horner Production Electrician Richard A. Raven Carpenter George Crowley Property Man Harold Morrish Electrician Clare Thomas Asst. Electrician ' ------Herman J. Hayn
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NEW YORK DRAMA CRITICS AWAR·D ,
arthur miller
At the astonishing age of 33 Arthur Miller has behind he d~d not h~ve to find in books because they were pa!t him a sensitive book of war reportage, "Situation o~ hI~ own Me. Longshoremen and shipfitters are still Normal" a best seller novel, "Focus," a N. Y. Critics hIS fn~nds because they have worked together. Award 'for his play of several seasons back, "All My He IS marned to Mary Slattery Miller whom he met Sons," and finally the fabulous "Death of ~ Salesm~n" :--vhen they were classmates at the University of Mich- before which prizes and awards have fallen like ten-pins, Igan. They have a house in Brooklyn within sight of the including the four major ones, the "Pulitzer Prize," "The harbor and two small children, Jane, four and Robert, N. Y. Drama Critics Award," the "Antoinette Perry almost two. He spends much of his time building and Award" and the "Donaldson Award." It is "Salesman," writing on his farm in Roxbury, Connecticut. The farm, of course that has earned him an international reputa- oddly enough, is located at the juncture of two roads tion as evidenced by current or scheduled productions named Gold Mine and Tophit. Although he has been of that play in almost every capitol city of the world making an adequate living since 1942 when he got a including London, Paris, Stockholm, Prague, Warsaw, radio job writing plays, he continues to take odd jobs Budapest and Rome. on the waterfront or in local factories when he has It is characteristic of Miller that he lives simply time. He likes the life and feels that it keeps him in touch with a reality that is lost in New York City'S despite his success as it is characteristic of his writing insular, ingrown intellectual life - the reality of actual that he builds plays more for durability than fashion, physical production. chooses character more for substance than for manner, In play-writing he might be called a natural genius. strives more for utility than for decoration and is more He owes few debts to his predecessors and none to his concerned about the content of his dialogue than with contemporaries. As a University student he studied its bon mots. It is part of his writer's credo not to go everything from Greek drama to Ibsen and feels that he far afield towards the exotic, the bizarre, the abnormal learned something, largely a philosophic approach to for its own sake, but to try to interpret the life of drama, from the Greeks and something of natural people as it exists. human tragedy from Chekhov and Ibsen. Among mod- Born in what is now Harlem and brought up in the ern playwrights he admires most Sean O'Casey and Midwood section of Brooklyn on a street of one family Synge. His technique in "Death of A Salesman" is his houses, Miller's childhood was typical of that in any own: a three dimensional, almost stream of conscious- American suburb. His father, a clothing manufacturer, ness approach which gives his play such solid fibre an? had lost everything in the 1929 crash and young Miller body. He is not of the notebook school of writing, hIS had to work at odd jobs every vacation. Between jobs pieces invariably fattening in his skull for a long while and school he went to the movies and played football. before he is ready to write. But once at work on a play Out of this unspectacular pattern of childhood so similar or novel he gives writing his full energy. "Focus," t~at to that of millions of depression children had come the remarkable, hard hitting novel of suburban anti-semitism pattern of his writings. The very ordinariness of the was written in six weeks at white heat. Hardly a word people he knew, the sad and small events of lives con- had to be revised. In the case of "Death of A Salesman" stantly on the verge of destitution, the unremitting the play fell from his typewriter keys in as short a time, drudgery of ill paid workers, the half desperate, half "the way marble comes in a solid block if you hit It optimistic spirit of the people who are the backbone of right." But in both cases the ideas had germinated for America's tremendous production-these were materials years. elia kazan
This man Kazan, who came into the theatre as a nounced e-LY-a. His friends call him Gadge. Lean and young and terrified assistant stage manager, fresh out muscular, with a shock of wavy black hair, he moves of the Yale Drama School, is, if not a living legend, as about with the restlessness of a boxer and relaxes with close a one as the American theatre has ever developed. the complete surrender of a cat. For his is a directorial credit attached to so many dis- Everyone who has known him for at least five minutes tinguished stage and screen productions that only a par- calls him by his nickname. It is indicative of his essential tial mention can be made of them here: Unique is the dignity and realness that he has become more approach- fact that two of his three Pulitzer Prize productions are able with success. Stagehands swear by him because he running simultaneously on Broadway, "A Streetcar has taken the trouble to learn what they can and cannot Named Desire" and "Death of A Salesman." (His first do for a director. Veteran actors are impressed by his Pulitzer Award came for "Skin of Our Teeth.") Without perfectionism. Young actors are touched by his doing precedent too are his three successive awards from the what he says he'll do for them-writing letters, making hyper-critical New York Drama Critics Circle, - for calls, keeping appointments-the sort of favors other big "All My Sons," and the aforementioned "Streetcar" and shots can't find time for. His income is fabulous but he "Salesman." (An additional Critic's Circle Award was lives simply, drives a 1939 Pontiac, by his own admission snared by his production of "Jacob owsky and The so weary that he hates to pay the garage rent for it. Colonel" some seasons back.) His direction of "Deep He takes a wide detour around taverns like "21" and Are The Roots," and "Harriet" was among the high the Stork Club, preferring obscure Mediterranean food water achievements of their respective seasons. and quarts of coffee. He allows himself a house in town As experimental and unorthodox have been some of and one in the country but is quick to describe the latter his film productions: "Gentleman's Agreement" which as the kind you'll never see in House & Garden. His handled "a dangerous and controversial theme" so suc- place in town is an old five-story brownstone filled with inelegant furniture, family photographs, the smell of cessfully that it won the Academy Award and proved good food and the ebullient voices of his four children, a box office smash as well; "Boomerang," filmed in the Judy 12, Chris 10, Nick "the Greek" 3, and a year old East and rated as one of the finest films of its season. daughter who hasn't been named yet. The Kazans will Both films earned him citations from the New York wait, they say, until the right one comes. Film Critic's Circle for "best film directions in 1947." His directorial start was modest enough with two "dis- It is sometimes forgotten that Kazan's dossier includes tinguished" failures, "Casey Jones" and "Thunder Rock," an acting record that rated with the best: His perform- both produced under Group Theatre auspices. His next ance as the taxi driver in "Waiting for Lefty" was directorial assignment, "Cafe Crown," attracted the at- so exciting and realistic that one famous commentator tention of Thornton Wilder and Michael Myerberg and accused the Group Theatre of pulling in a local taxi Kazan was engaged to put on "The Skin of Our driver to play the role. His vivid characterization as the Teeth," a job which involved him in storied battles with killer in another Odets play, "Golden Boy," was good Tallulah Bankhead but which established him as a direc- enough to set the Hollywood lures for him. tor of unquestioned talent. From that moment it has He has the dark face of a Hittite warrior, a birthplace been a matter of Kazan selecting what plays and what in Turkey and a father in the rug business. This should films he chooses to direct. The acumen with which he make him Armenian but actually he's Greek. The family makes his selection is liberally attested to by the plethora name was Kazanjoglous and the given name is pro- of prize awards noted in these paragraphs. ----
tragedy and the common man bg arthur miller
In this age few tragedies are written. It has often been degrades them, and in the process of action everything held that the lack is due to a paucity of heroes among ~e have accepted out of fear or insensitivity or ignorance us, or else that modern man has had the blood drawn IS shaken before us and examined and from this total out of his organs of belief by the skepticism of science, onslaught by an individual against the seemingly stable and the heroic attack on life cannot feed on an attitude cosmos surrounding us-from this total examination of of reserve and circumspection. For one reason or an- the "unchangeable" environment-comes the terror and other, we are often held to be below tragedy-or tragedy fear that is classicly associated with tragedy. above us. The inevitable conclusion is, of course, that the tragic mode is archaic, fit only for the very highly More important, from this total questioning of what placed, the kings or the kingly, and where this admission has previously been unquestioned, we learn. And such is not made in so many words it is most often implied. a process is not beyond the common man. In revolutions around the. world, these past thirty years, he has demon- I believe that the common man is as apt a subject strated agam and again this inner dynamic of all tragedy. for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were. On the face of it this ought to be obvious in the light of modern ._Insistence upon the rank of the tragic hero, or the psychiatry, which bases its analysis upon classic formu- so-called nobility of his character, is really but a clinging lations, such as the Oedipus and Orestes complexes, for to the outward forms of tragedy. If rank or nobility of instances, which were enacted by royal beings, but which character was indispensable, then it would follow that apply to everyone in similar emotional situations. the problems of those with rank were the particular problems of tragedy. But surely the right of one monarch Not Exclusive to c~pture the domain from another no longer raises our paSSIOns,nor are our concepts of justice what they were More simply,' when the question of tragedy in art is to the mind of an Elizabethan king. not at issue, we never hesitate to attribute to the well- placed and the exalted the very same mental processes What It Is as the lowly. And finally, if the exaltation of tragic The quality in such plays that does shake us however, action were truly a property of the high-bred character alone, it is inconceivable that the mass of mankind derives from the underlying fear of being displaced, the should cherish tragedy above all other forms, let alone disaster inherent in being torn away from our chosen be capable of understanding it. image of what and who we are in this world. Among us today this fear is as strong, and perhaps stronger, than As a general rule, to which there may be exceptions it ever was. In fact, it is the common man who knows unknown to me, I think the tragic feeling is evoked in this fear best. us when we are in the presence of a character who is Now, if it is true that tragedy is the consequence of a ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing -his sense of personal dignity. From Orestes to Hamlet, man's total compulsion to evaluate himself justly, his Medea to Macbeth, the underlying struggle is that of destruction in the attempt posts a wrong or an evil in his the individual attempting to gain his "rightful" position environment. And this is precisely the morality of in his society. tragedy and its lesson. The discovery of the moral law, which is what the enlightenment of tragedy consists of, Sometimes he is one who has been displaced from it, is not the discovery of .some abstract or methaphysical sometimes one who seeks to attain it for the first time, quantity. but the fateful wound from which the inevitable events spiral is the wound of indignity, and its dominant force The tragic right is a condition in which the human is indignation. Tragedy, then, is the consequence of a personality is able to flower and realize itself. The wrong man's total compulsion to evaluate himself justly. is the condition which suppresses man, perverts the flow- ing out of his love and creative instinct. Tragedy en- In the sense of having been initiated by the hero lightens-and it must, in that it points the heroic finger himself, the tale always reveals what has been called his at the enemy of man's freedom. The thrust for freedom "tragic flaw," a failing that is not peculiar to grand or is the quality in tragedy which exalts. The revolutionary elevated characters. Nor is it necessarily a weakness. The questioning of the stable environment is what terrifies. flaw, or crack in the character, is really his inherent un- In no way is the common man debarred from such willingness to remain passive in the face of what he con- thoughts or such actions. ceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status. Only the passive, only those who accept Seen in this light, our lack of tragedy may be partially their lot without active retaliation, are "flawless." Most accounted for by the turn which modern literature has of us are in that category. taken toward the purely psychiatric view of life,. o~ ~he purely sociological. If all our miseries, our indl~mtles, But there are among us today, as there always have are born and bred within our minds, then all actlO~, let been, those who aet against the scheme of things that alone the heroic action, is obviously impossible. Conttnued the "salesman" abroad
"Death of a Salesman," "En Handels- 7~P~~Uue4 ..I resandes Dod, or "La Muerte de un ~ Viajante," Arthur Miller's timeless DEATH OF A drama has fired the imagination of lead- SALESMAN ing producers and actors, the admiration Argentina of audiences, all over the world. More Buenos Aires than thirty productions in sixteen coun- Australia tries already have been presented and Sydney others are in preparation. Austria Vienna The reaction of foreign critics also has Belgium been most interesting. A few excerpts Brussels from their reviews: Denmark Borsen "The most perceptive, the most impressive and the most moving Copenhagen play we have had from America for a long time." England -Daily Telegraph amI Morning Post, London London Finland >(- >(- >(- Helsingfors "One of the most interesting plays of our time." France Paris -Neues Wiener Tageszeitung; Vienna Germany >(- >(- Munich Duesseldorf * Frankfurt "It is no longer a play about an ordinary American commercial Freiburg traveler, but about the average modern man. It concerns us all." Oberhausen -s-Aftenbladet, Copenhagen Hamburg >(- >(- >(- Kassel Hanover Konstantz "It has been a long time since such loud and persistent applause Mannheim has been heard at the Nationaltheatret." -A/tenpost; Oslo Rheydt Bochum >(- >(- >(- Mainz Stuttgart "It lives, above all, on its poetry, not the ordinary vague and Greece Athens lyrical poetry that flourishes in poetical anthologies of every type, but the poetry of the theatre, poetry made for the stage and alive Israel Tel Aviv on the stage alone." -Social-Demokraten, Borsen Italy Rome Norway Oslo Scenes from Scandinavian Productions Trondheim Stavanger Sweden Stockholm Malmo Norrkoping Halsinborg Gothenburg Switzerland Zurich Uruguay Montevideo duncan baldwin Navy. For four years he served in the Pacific, acquiring .more than his share of stars cam- . . ' palgn ~lbbons and wound stripes for engage- ments III the Solomons, Philippines and Oki- nawa. At Leyte and Okinawa his vessels were sunk, by shell fire in the first instance and by a ~amikaze pilot in the second. He was finally discharged as a Chief Signalman . . ~~tur~ing home to pick up the threads of his CIVIlIanlife, he began painting again and for two years worked at his easel. Then Malcolm Atterbury, founder of the Albany, N. Y., Play- house, engaged him for a repertory season and he resumed his theatrical career. 'Yhen "Death of a Salesman" began its first DUNCANBALDWINis the youngest actor ever national tour, Mr. Baldwin was engaged as to play the famous role of Willy Loman. Willy understudy to Thomas Mitchell. For more than is supposedly in his sixties; Mr. Baldwin, on his a year he rehearsed the role with only his fellow last birthday, was thirty-eight. The age dif- actors and a few stage hands for an audience. ferential seems to offer little difficulty for the Then, in Los Angeles, came his "break." Mr. actor, judging from the success he has had in the Mitchell suffered a brief illness, and his under- part, one of the most demanding ever written for study had a chance to go on before a real audi- the stage. ence. The reaction was nothing short of sensa- The current Willy Loman is a native of Utica, tional, with the result that the producers lost no N. Y. Like John Barrymore, his original ambi- time in signing him for the present tour. tion was to be an artist and illustrator. He came to New York in the early thirties, studied at various art schools and with his portfolio under his arm began a trek of advertising agencies in an attempt to vend his wares. He admits to a slight error of timing; he attempted to launch his career in the middle of the depression when even established artists were having difficulties. Discouraged, he returned home where he found an outlet for his artistic talents in the theatre with the help of a local Little Theatre group. His ambition was fired in a new direc- tion, and he shortly made his professional de- but at a summer stock company in Ogunquit, Maine, where he appeared with such stars as Ethel Barrymore, Frances Starr, Florence Reed, Laurette Taylor and many of the most noted personalities of the American theatre. He continued working consistently in the theatre until the war when he enlisted in the sylvia davis
SYLVIADAVISclaims that she is the happiest actress on the roster of the Actors Equity Asso- ciation. The cause of her joy lies in the fact that she is having an opportunity to play one of the most coveted feminine roles of modern dra- matic literature. If a more satisfying role has been written for an actress within the past fifty years, Miss Davis would like to know about it. As Linda, she has achieved the ambition of every distaff player since the members of the fair sex first were per- mitted to appear on the stage, the chance to playa superbly conceived and beautifully writ- ten role. Actually she plays two roles in the swiftly changing action of the play which finds her alternating between the gay, youthful Linda of Willy's memories and the somewhat sorely war. After Pearl Harbor, however, she felt she tried mother of the Loman brood. could make a more valuable contribution to the Miss Davis' emergence as an actress proved nation's welfare by joining the Women's Army something of a surprise to her many friends in Corps. As a WAC she was sent to the European her home city, Philadelphia, where she origi- theatre where, because of her background and nally was known for her talent as a dancer. A training, she was assigned to Special Services. student of Irma Duncan, disciple and adopted A whole new world suddenly opened itself to daughter of Isadora Duncan, she had her own her. She found herself associated with some of studio in the Pennsylvania metropolis before the the most noted stars of England and America in the job of entertaining troops. She assisted James Mason and his wife, Pamela Kellino, in the production of plays which were presented to American and English service personnel and appeared in a number of them, including "Made in Heaven," by Mr. Mason and Miss Kellino. Upon her discharge, she elected to remain in Europe as a civilian employee of the American Forces Network with headquarters at Frank- .1 furt, Germany, where she remained for eight months, appearing on five or six shows a week. Returning to this country, she was seen in New York in the New Stages production of "Blood Wedding" and the ANT A presentation of "The House of Bernarda Alba." Her recep- tion in these plays was so enthusiastic that the producers of "Salesman" engaged her last sea- son. Of Linda she says: "An actress can con- sider herself lucky if she enjoys a chance to play a part such as this once in her career." who's who In the cas t frederic downs (UNCLE BEN) FREDERICDOWNSis a native of Marquez, 'Texas, who launched his career by enrolling at a school conducted steven ritch (BIFF) by the Dallas Little Theatre. He made his professional debut as Bob Ford in a tent show production of "Jessie STEVENRITCH spent the first twenty-four of his James" which edified audiences throughout the Lone thirty years in occupations remote from the theatre. He Star State. Broadway first saw him as Montano in the earned his way through high school in his native city Theatre Guild's production of "Othello" with Jose of Providence, R. I., by driving a truck and managing Ferrer and Paul Robeson. In support of Blanche Yurka a gas station and at the age of 19 enlisted in the Marines and Frederic Tozere he appeared in "Oedipus" in New and for five years was interested only in the task of York and was seen with Elizabeth Bergner in "The helping the First Marine Division acquire certain real Duchess of Malfi." While in an Army hospital after estate in the vicinity of Guadalcanal and Peleliu. His the war he began re-editing Shakespeare from old career as a Leatherneck is given much praise by George quartos and folios, a project which may bear fruit with McMillan, author of "The Old Breed," the official his- - a production of a new version of "Hamlet" next season. tory of the First Marine Division, as a driver of an amphibious tractor of "amtrac." After being discharged from the Marines he completed his education at Brown mark allen (HOWARD WAGNER) University, then went to California where he worked as MARKALLENwas prominent as a radio and TV an- a short order cook, gas station attendant and bartender. nouncer and actor in Chicago before going to New Everyone said "You ought to be an actor" so he ap- \ York, where he has been seen in the ANT A revival of peared in a Hollywood theatre in a play called "Yellow Clifford Odet's "Night Music," as Father Raleigh in Mask" which was not a success. However, he was invited "The First Legion," and on the Subway circuit in to join the Pasadena Playhouse, where he acted Iago in "Death of a Salesman." His first professional role was "Othello," Bassanio in "The Merchant of Venice," and as a football player in "The Male Animal" at the sum- Harry in "Time of Your Life." After that he went to mer theatre at Bridgehampton, Long Island. Before New York and acted in the Equity Library theatre's entering the entertainment field he was educated at production of "The Road to Rome" and aroused suf- St. Mel Academy and De Paul University. Aside from ficient interest for the producers of "Salesman" to send acting he is skilled in radio announcing. for him for an audition and give him his present role.
john dev 0 e (BERNARD) ted jordan (HAPPY) JOHN' DEVOEwas born in Marigold, California. He TED JORDANhad studied dramatic art at Cleveland's served as a sergeant in a signal battalion which took Western Reserve University before enlisting in the Navy him to New Guinea, the Philippines and Australia dur- with the result that he was appointed to read a chapter ing the last war, and chose to use the benefits of the each morning to the officers and the men aboard his ship G.I. bill to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic from the solemn Navy Regulations known as "Rocks Arts in London, where he made his professional debut and Shoals." Jordan admits he probably was the most in James Bridie's "King of Nowhere." He also ap- hated man aboard ship. As Recreation Officer he put peared in England in the leading role in a revival of on revues presented on the forward elevator normally "Winterset." Returning to this country he has been used for carrying planes from hangar deck to the flight active as a drama instructor at Bennington College and deck as the stage. On his discharge from the Navy he as a television actor on "Show time, U.S.A.," "Mr. and returned to Western Reserve for a B.A. degree in Mrs. Mystery," the Philco program and other televised drama and progressed to New York by way of the Erie, entertainmen ts. Pa., Playhouse, determined to get a master's degree at Columbia. During vacation he happened to meet an actor who told him the producers of "Salesman". were nancy cushman (THE WOMAN) looking for someone to play Happy. He read for the part and had a contract in his pocket the same after- NANCY CUSHMAN is a descendant of the famous noon. American actress, Charlotte Cushman, so it was fitting that her first teacher of the drama was the celebrated star, Annie Russell. This was at Rollins College in art hur tell (CHARLEY) Florida where Miss Cushman received her B.A. Her first Broadway role was in Samson Raphaelson's "White ARTHURTELL is a native New Yorker. He acquired Man" after which she acted in the Theatre Guild's pro- his education at St. John's University, entered the thea- duction of "Storm Over Patsy" and with Blanche Yurka tre in the role of a politician in "Mulatto" in 1936. For in "Gloriana." In between engagements she directed a 102 weeks he impersonated an inebriate in "My Sister group called the Tudor City Players, acted in stock in Eileen" in New York, for 135 weeks on Broadway and New London, at Cohasset, Mass., and for Gant Gaither on tour he was Mr. Robust in Finian's Rainbow." in Miami. For a year she left the stage to manage a Among his other stage appearances have been the role cosmetic salon, then returned for two years in New of the lumberman in the Joan Bennett company of York and on tour in "Janie," the Brock Pemberton pro- "Stage Door," Doheny in Mae West's production of duction in which she was featured as the mother. A "Diamond Lil" and the radio announcer in the Monty USO tour in "Junior Miss," stock in Brattleboro, Vt. Wooley company of "The Man Who Came to Dinner." and Albany, N. Y. led to a tour of fourteen months His television programs have included "Ellery Queen," with "Death of a Salesman." She has played Linda ~n "I Remember Mama," "American Inventory" and productions of the drama at Brattleboro and Albany, III "Martin Kane, Private Eye." fact has played all the feminine roles in the play. andrew sabilia (STANLEY) ANDREWSABILIAis making his debut in his first New York play in "Death of a Salesman." His actual professional debut was made in Norwich, Conn., in 1947 with Richard Arlen in "Made in Heaven." His early education was gained in his native city of New London, Conn., before he attended Columbia University and the Abbe Theatre School. For the last five years he has been associated with summer companies as stage man- ager and actor and before that had worked as a retail clothing salesman, demonstrator for household appliances, women's wear salesman, professional model, singing waiter, sign painter, win- dow trimmer and construction worker. He was acting in radio drama on WTIC in Hartford when the War scnt him overseas for three years with the U.S. Army Engineers.
lunu e rogers (MISS FORSYTHE) LYNNEROGERSis a Ncw Yorker who was graduated Magna Cum Laude from Queens College, received her theatrical train- ing at Yale Drama School and acquired an M.A. at Columbia University. A veteran radio and television actress, she has been audible on the "Perry Mason," "When a Girl Marries," "You Are There," "Cholly Knickerbocker" and her own "Around New York Today" programs and has been seen on such tele- vision shows as the "Magnavox Theatre," "Starlight Theatre," the Frank Sinatra show, the Ed Wynn show and the Armstrong "Cirele Theatre." . . janice mars (LETTA) JANICEMARSwas born in Lincoln, Nebraska. She studied at the University of Nebraska and at the New School for Social Research in New York. Her first Broadway role was as a phan- tom maid in "Message for Margaret." She has appeared in stock in Florida, Maine and Massachusetts and was a member of last season's national company of "Death of a Salesman."
con s tan c e d iX (JENNY) CONSTANCEDIX comes from Camden, N. j., and was a model, a speech teacher and an usherette before making her theatrical debut in a Clare Tree Major Children's Theatre pro- duction of "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." Between this assign- ment and roles in "The Merry Widow," "Junior Miss" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" she has performed in every state t of the union. She also has been seen on television via the Ford Theatre and many Dumont network programs.
e d horn er (SECOND WAITER) ED HORNERstarted his professional career by touring the United States and Canada in the chief male role in "The Hasty Heart" for the Theatre Guild. His first New York engagement was in the ANT A production of "Peer Gynt' in which he under- studied John Garfield and also acted the role of the son. He also has acted in the Equity Library's production of "Missouri Legend" and has played many neurotic killers on television. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, he was educated at Arizona State College where he received his B.A. and at U.C.L.A. His hobbies are diversified enough to include directing and motorcycling.
1948-1949
,M .UTI"" , "" rCb.U.tbo'Iaoo"''''_cIooi'''~'·1o'ho._'h ..m...... wl ... '~" he. . R.Pral~a WESTERN .. b•• "h.luJl •• ,. UNION "0 ...... '- "'G.....,"MU'''~''~ PI/UN'1t " '"' HO',' (II 'M' IHU1(1 r~ ARmUR MILLER, 1I0ROSCO 'mEATRE WEST 45 STREET ,The ScstJImepicanPlay IN mE ABSENCE OF AND 011 llElIALF OF PRESIDENT EISENHO/IER I HAVE tv TIlE HONOR TO ADVISE 'rnAT UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES HAVE AWARDED PULITZER Dentn ofulule%man PRIZE TO DEATH OF A SAIESl!AN FOR ORIGINAL AJ.!ERICAN P!AY- hl' ALBERT c. JACOBS PROVOS T OF '!HE UNIVERSITY Qpthup 0rQ,ll iU r· , ~ 9\i:",'gc\·k.Oprilli:,1,;l49 "Death of a Salesman" is the only play ever to have received the four major awards: Pulitzer Prize, New York Drama Critics Circle Award, The Donaldson Award and The Antoinette Perry Award. In addition, the Arthur Miller play has received all the subsidiary awards, including the Page One Award of the Newspaper Guild and the Theatre Club Award. the common man CONTINUED And if society alone is responsible for the cramping idea that tragedy is of necessity allied to pessimism. of our lives, then the protagonist must needs be so pure Even the dictionary says nothing more about the word and faultless as to force us to deny his validity as a char- that that it means a story with a sad or unhappy acter. From neither of these views can tragedy derive, ending. This impression is so firmly fixed that I almost simply because neither represents a balanced concept of hesitate to claim that in truth tragedy implies more life. Above all else, tragedy requires the finest apprecia- optimism in its author than does comedy, and that its tion by the writer of cause and effect. final result ought to be the reinforcement of the on- looker's brightest opinions of the human animal. No tragedy can therefore come about when its author fears to question absolutely everything, when he regards For, if it is true to say that in essence the tragic hero any institution, habit or custom as being either everlast- is intent upon claiming his whole due as a personality, ing, immutable or inevitable. In the tragic view the need and if this struggle must be total and without reserva- of man to wholly realize himself is the only fixed star, tion, then it automatically demonstrates the indestruct- and whatever it is that hedges his nature and lowers it ible will of man to achieve his humanity. is ripe for attack and examination, Which is not to say The possibility of victory must be there in tragedy. that tragedy must preach revolution. Where pathos rules, where pathos is finally derived, a Gaining «Size" character has fought a battle he could not possibly have won. The pathetic is achieved when the protagonist is, The Greeks could probe the very heavenly ongm of by virtue of his witlessness, his insensitivity, or the very their ways and return to confirm the rightness of laws, air he gives off, incapable of grappling with a much And Job could face God in anger, demanding his right superior force. and end in submission. But for a moment everything is in suspension, nothing is accepted, and in this stretching Nicer Balance and tearing apart of the cosmos, in the very action of so P~thos tru~y is the mode for the pessim~st. But tragedy doing, the character gains "size," the tragic stature which requires a mcer balance between what IS possible and is spuriously attached to the royal or the high born in what is impossible, And it is curious, although edifying, our mind. The commonest of men may take on that that t~e plays we revere,. century after century, are the stature to the extent of his willingness to throw all he tragedies, In them, and m them alone, lies the belief- has into the contest, the battle to secure his rightful place optimistic, if you will, in the perfectibility of man. in his world. It i~ tim~, I think, that we who are without kings, took There is a misconception of tragedy with which I up this bnght thread of our history and followed it to have been struck in review after review, and in many the only place it can possibly lead in our time-the heart conversations with writers and readers alike. It is the and spirit of the average man. Reprinted by Permission of The N. Y. Times the producers kermit hloomgarden KERMIT BLOOMGARDENhas established himself on the post-war Broadway scene as the theatre's leading producer of distinguished American plays. His initial production, "Deep Are the Roots," (pre- sented with George Heller) was an impressive success of the 1946 season. Since then he has en- riched the theatre with "Another Part of the Forest," "Montserrat" and "The Autumn· Gar- den," all from the pen of Lillian Hellman; "Com- mand Decision," that dramatic tribute to the Air Forces, and "Death of a Salesman." Before launching his own plays, Mr. Bloom- garden served as general manager for such out- standing hits as "The Children's Hour," "The walter fried Little Foxes," "The Corn Is Green," "Watch on the Rhine," "The Searching Wind" and other memorable dramas. WALTERFRIED(co-producer) was a member of In addition to his enviable status as a producer, the triumvirate of Clurman, Kazan and Fried that he is regarded as one of the leading .citizens of introduced Arthur Miller's first successful play, the the theatrical community because of his contribu- prize winning "All My Sons," to the stage. His tion, in terms of time and energy, to various organ- production several seasons back of the comedy izations devoted to the welfare of the theatre. He "The Whole World Over" has a successful run on is a member of the Board of Governors of the Broadway. As general manager for the theatre's League of New York Theatres, and also is an most fabulous hit, "Life With Father," he guided active participant in the executive bodies of the the destinies of that legendary institution through Council of the Living Theatre, Committee of The- its marathon run at the Empire Theatre as well as atrical Producers, American National Theatre and the multiple road companies that toured the cities Academy, the American Theatre Wing and the and hamlets of the U.S.A. Equity Library Theatre. During the war he de- During the course of his association with voted virtually every spare moment of his time to "Father" he handled millions of dollars of income the voluntary post of business manager for one of and outgo, broke established theatrical rules by the theatre's proudest activities, the internation- booking independent theatres and making a go of ally famous Stage Door Canteen, which provided it, got the show on in remote whistle stops in spite entertainment for hundreds of thousands of service of flood, fire and blizzard, and helped spark the men. Less spectacular but equally appreciated most extensive and intensive theatrical promotion was his work as a director of the Lunchtime of all time. An independent producer on his own Follies, which routed scores of entertainment units now he has several productions scheduled for this to factory workers. .season. jo mielziner The phrase, "Setting and Lighting by Jo Mielziner," is one which has been found on the programs of some of the most memorable productions of the theatre of our time. His artistry first was in evidence for the Theatre Guild's presenta- tion of "The Guardsman," starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, and since then he has been a consistent contributor to the success of the outstanding hits of every theatrical season. "Street Scene," "Of Thee I Sing," "The Barretts of Wim- pole treet," "Yellow Jack," "Winterset," "On Your Toes," "I Married an Angel," "Knickerbocker Holiday," "Abe Lin- coln in Illinois," "Pal Joey," "The Glass Menagerie" and "Annie Get Your Gun" are among the many dramas and musicals he has mounted in the past. He is currently repre- sented either on Broadway or on tour by "Death of a Sales- man," "South Pacific," "The King and I," "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and "Mr. Roberts." Mr. Miclziner has won more than his share of awards and honors for his creative accomplishments. Indicative of his position as our foremost theatrical designer is the fact that in the eight years since the establishment of the Donaldson Awards Mr. Mielziner has been cited five times, for "Dream Girl," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Death of a Salesman," "The Innocents" and "The King and 1." alex north julia sze Some indication of the quality of this composer's Born in Tientsin, China, the 84th generation music for "Death of A Salesman" may be had from descendant of the ancient House of Sze which pre- the fact that it was contracted to be played as a ceded the House of Confucius by nine generations, suite by the Philadelphia Orchestra. His symphonic the daughter of Sao-Ke Alfred Sze, China's fore- works have been performed by the New York, most ambassador to Washington and the Court of Philadelphia and Cincinnati Symphony orchestras, St. James, Julia Sze is as modestly anonymous on his cantatas at Town Hall, his children's recordings Broadway as any other labourer in the vineyards. sung and played widely. He has just completed a Broadway musical, "Queen of Sheba" for which Strictly on merit she won herself jobs designing Molly Thatcher Kazan has written the book, Bob for two films, "Naked City" and "Carnegie Hall," Russell the lyrics. A recipient of a Guggenheim assisted in the design for "Finian's Rainbow," Fellowship last year, (he wrote a symphony "Medea," "Man and Superman," designed cos- during the period, he is well on his way to- tumes of "Angel In The Wings," "Command De- wards the popular success that has been so long cision," the ill-fated "Hold It" and the current due him. "Death of A Salesman." / Some impressions of the play by Joseph Hirsch Published by PROGRAM PUBLISHING COMPANY 1472 Broadway, New York City PULITZER and CRITICS' PRIZE PLAY DEATH OF A SALESMAN The Donaldson Award, the Antoinette Perry Award, Page One Award and the Theatre Club Award "A superb drama. From every point of view "A powerful tragedy. A fervent query into the 'Death of a Salesman' is rich and memorable great American competitive dream of success. drama. A rare event in the theatre. By common Sweeps along like a powerful tragic symphony." consent, 'Death of a Salesman' is one of the -William Hawkins, N. Y. World-Telegram finest dramas in the whole range of the Ameri- of of of can theatre." -Brooke Atkineon, N. Y. Time. " 'Death of a Salesman' will remain one of the 111 lasting rewards that I, as a professional theatre- goer, have received in a long full life of profes- "A GREAT play of our day. Has majesty, sweep sional theatregoing." and shattering dramatic impact. A drama of -Robert Garland, N. Y. Journal-American perception, power and eloquence about the l' l' l' present day. A play to make history. There is so much substance in 'Death of a Salesman' that it "Something to make strong men weep and is difficult to digest in a single performance. think. 'Death of a Salesman' emerges easily the There is no aspect of 'Death of a Salesman' best and most important new American play which is not pure theatre and the theatre at its of the year." -Richard Watts, Jr., N. Y. Post Home News best." -Howard Barnes, N. Y. Herald Tribune l' l' l' l' l' l' "Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' is one of "An explosion of emotional dynamite. As excit- the finest tragedies written by an American." ing and devastating a theatrical blast as the -Life Magazine nerves of modern playgoers can stand." l' l' l' -Robert Coleman, N. Y. Mirror "A truly fine play. In every department the pro- l' l' l' duction comes close to perfection. A vivid, emo- tion-shattering, and deeply moving play that "A very fine work in the American theatre. I ranks with the best in contemporary American drama." cannot urge it upon you too strongly. To see it -Newsweek is to have one of those unforgettable times in l' l' l' which all is right and nothing is wrong. A drama " 'Death of a Salesman' had Broadway in a fever of superlative excellence." of excitement from the moment it drew out-of- -John Chapman, N. Y. Daily News ~ownr~ves last month. Last week, on Broadway l' l' l' Itself, It caused even greater excitement drew even wilder raves+ srn-naa, MAJESTIC, ~REAT, A PLAY TO MAKE HISTORY." " 'Death of a Salesman' has pathos, pitilessness, -Time Magazine violence, tenderness, humor and vehemence. A l' l' l' poignant, shattering and devastating drama. A play of prodigious impact. A triumph in writing, "A tremendously affecting work, head and in acting and in stagecraft." _ shoulders above any other serious play we have -Ward Morehouse, N. Y. Sun seen this season." -Wolcott Gibbs, New Yorker