Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman [1] is a 1949 play by American playwright by Arthur Miller (1915-2005) [2]. The classic twentieth century American tragedy of the common man. First produced in London 1948 and at the Morosco Theatre, New York on 10 February 1949.
Performance history in South Africa
1951/2(?): First produced South Africa by the Sarah Sylvia Company at the new Johannesburg Reps Theatre in Johannesburg with Israeli actor Jacob Ben-Ami as "Willy Loman" and Leon Gluckman as "Biff", co-directed by Ben-Ami and Gluckman.
196*?: The first locally produced version was by Leonard Schach??****.
1975: Produced by PACT, directed by Ken Leach, featuring Joe Stewardson (Willy Loman), Diane Wilson (Linda), Bill Flynn (Biff), Richard Haines (Happy), Frantz Dobrowsky (Bernard), Helen Jessop (The Woman), Stuart Brown (Charley), Norman Coombes (Uncle Ben), Errol Ross (Howard Wagner), Diana Cox (Jenny), Denis Betterworth (Stanley), Ingrid von Bergen (Miss Forsythe) and Lesley Nott (Letta).
1979: Produced by CAPAB Drama opening 2 March 1979 at the Nico Malan Theatre, directed by Roy Sergeant, starring Michael Atkinson, Diane Wilson, Paul Slabolepszy, Ian Roberts, Neville Thomas, Joyce Bradley, Ronald France, Roger Dwyer, Peter Cartwright, Eileen Thorns, Brian Kennedy, Mary Dreyer, Clare Stopford, Simon Swindell. Set and costume designer Raimond Schoop, lighting designer John T. Baker. This production was dedicated to the memory of Johann Nell. Music composed and selected by Michael Tuffin.
2000: Produced by Spoornet State Theatre Productions at the Pretoria State Theatre and the National Arts Festival.
2001: Produced by Bobby Heaney Productions (in association with the Baxter Theatre Centre), directed by Bobby Heaney, with Bill Flynn, Frantz Dobrowsky, Dale Cutts, Martin le Maitre, Gideon Emery, Langley Kirkwood, Michelle Maxwell, Jo da Silva, Justin Strydom, Nathalie G'Mure and Leona Loseby. Lighting design by Mannie Manim, music by Janine Neethling and set design by Stan Knight.
Translations and adaptations
Presented by TRUK in Afrikaans in the early 1980s under the title Dood van 'n Handelsreisiger starring Johan Malherbe, Louis van Niekerk as Willie Loman, Schalk Schoombie, Jocelyn Broderick. Also produced by SWARUK under the same title starring Alwyn van der Merwe.
Translated into Afrikaans and adapted to a South African setting as Dood Van 'n Verkoopsman by Andries Vrey and presented at KKNK and Aardklop festival 2010 featuring Ben Kruger and Bettie Kemp.
Sources
PACT theatre programme, 1975.
Death of a Salesman theatre programme (CAPAB), 1979.
National Arts Festival programme, 2000.
The Star, 16 Aug 2000.
Beeld 28 Aug 2010.
Petru & Carel Trichardt theatre programme collection.
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