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 * Home
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MOHAWKDRAMA

Behind the scenes at "Death of a Salesman"
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 * ABOUT THE NEXT SHOW
   
   The drama program at Mohawk Trail Regional High School will present Arthur
   Miller's "Death of a Salesman" starting May 13, 2011. Co-directors are Scott
   Whitney and Neale Gay and the student director is Rachel Glod. A team of
   Mohawk writers, photographers and videographers is documenting the creation
   of this spring's drama. Come back often for updates as we count down to
   curtain time.


 * ARTHUR MILLER

 * 


 * RECENT POSTS
   
   * Opening night brings standing ovation; final two performances today
   * SLIDESHOW: A scene from ‘Death of a Salesman’
   * While clothes don’t ‘make the man,’ they help dramatize him in ‘Salesman’
   * ‘Salesman’ directors talk about play’s depth, timing, meaning with curtain
     two weeks off
   * As show date nears, cast aims for nuance in portrayals
   
   


OPENING NIGHT BRINGS STANDING OVATION; FINAL TWO PERFORMANCES TODAY

Posted: May 14, 2011 in Uncategorized

0

After months of preparation, “Death of a Salesman” opened Friday to a large and
appreciative audience at Mohawk Trail Regional High School.

Minutes into this drama, actors put to rest any doubt that a high school
ensemble can portray the deep psychological suffering of characters decades
older than themselves.

Leon Tuthill, Maxx Crowl, Chelsie Field and Theodor Gabriel led a deep cast into
Arthur Miller’s exploration of an ordinary man’s quest to be a hero in his work,
his family and his own mind.

Individual performances were among the best in the three years that the Mohawk
Arts and Education Council has worked to restore serious drama to the school.

Word-of-mouth recommendations from members of Friday’s audience should bring a
strong turnout today.

This is truly a show that people who enjoy live theater should not miss.
Tuthill’s depiction of Willy Loman, in particular, is commanding, transformative
and haunting. As his sons, Biff and Happy, Crowl and Gabriel reveal both the
deep affection and the drift of siblings called together in early middle age to
witness and foment a crisis in their childhood home.

And as the long-suppressed spouse Linda Loman, Field, in a quietly brilliant
performance, defines what it means to love the troubled men in her life and at
the same time hold them to account.

The show’s co-directors are Neale Gay and Scott Whitney, who perform in several
key scenes. The stage manager is Rachel Glod.

The performance continues with shows at noon and 7 p.m. today, May 14, 2011.
Tickets are available at the door at the school on Route 112 in Buckland. They
are $7 for seniors and Mohawk students and $10 for the general public.
— LARRY PARNASS

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SLIDESHOW: A SCENE FROM ‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’

Posted: May 9, 2011 in Uncategorized

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Images from a scene being run Sunday, May 8, are available by clicking into the
box below and then selecting “slideshow” from the upper left on the Picasa page:

salesman scene may 8


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WHILE CLOTHES DON’T ‘MAKE THE MAN,’ THEY HELP DRAMATIZE HIM IN ‘SALESMAN’

Posted: May 7, 2011 in Uncategorized

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By GABRIEL CHEVALIER

As The Woman dons a lacy black slip and stockings, Willy Loman is perched on the
corner of the hotel bed. He pulls on a pair of worn shoes and straightens his
aged three-piece suit, looking into the mirror. He watches as the woman steps
into her shoes and comes over to straighten his tie.

As opening day Friday draws near, the actors are sinking deeper and deeper into
their characters. At practices they are no longer Chelsie, Maxx, or Leon, but
Linda, Biff and Willy. To further embody their characters, they don the clothing
of the 50s.

Gone are the flip-flops, T-shirts and shorts. They have been replaced with
suits, lavish dresses and 50s era hats. The costumes allow the cast to forget
schoolwork and sports practices, focusing instead upon the important details of
character portrayal.

As The Woman smoothes down Willy’s rumpled tie, he is reminded of his wife,
Linda, and the many times she has helped him do just the same. He is drawn back
in memory to a time when everything was less complex. In those times his guilt
didn’t weigh him down like his heavy suitcase filled with products he couldn’t
sell. He and Linda enjoyed a simpler, happier life.

In “Death of a Salesman,” costumes help tell this story. Linda wore her hair
curled and her dresses unwrinkled, her apron unstained. His sons, Biff and
Happy, ran through the yard without a care but for coming sports matches. They
wore school sweaters and donned football pads, sneakers and nice pants. Years
later, wearing tired suit pants and jackets, they are no longer so carefree.

Troubles with money and employment are a constant weight they are unable to
leave behind. They meet with businessmen in well-fitted suits and crisp hats and
are able only to glimpse the life of riches. Then it disappears behind an oak
desk on which lays a gold fountain pen.

Early rehearsals were about blocking and lines, and back then, this cast’s
actors had little to aid them in getting into character. Costumes, although they
may seem less important than other aspects, help guide the actors in their
performance. They now both look and feel the part as production day draws near.


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‘SALESMAN’ DIRECTORS TALK ABOUT PLAY’S DEPTH, TIMING, MEANING WITH CURTAIN TWO
WEEKS OFF

Posted: May 1, 2011 in Uncategorized

0

The directors of “Death of a Salesman” — teachers Neale Gay and Scott Whitney
and student Rachel Glod — speak today about the importance of this play, this
playwright, the Mohawk drama program’s goals and how the cast is responding to
this story.

Neale Gay, on the playwright: “Arthur Miller (photo at left) is, perhaps, the
last American playwright who was a household name. Everyone knew who he was and
looked to him to make sense of an America that was greatly changing after the
tumult of the first half of the 20th century. Throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s,
what Miller did and said became news. That’s powerful for an artist.”

Scott Whitney on the choice of this play: “After a few years of producing mostly
existential and absurdist works, we wanted to focus on a text that is both
well-known and quintessentially American. In the arc of our development as a
theater department, it feels a bit like this is our debut, given how challenging
Miller’s opus is both technically and dramatically. Furthermore, we were
encouraged to take on a play of this magnitude based on the strength of our
talent pool this year.

> WE WERE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ON A PLAY OF THIS MAGNITUDE BASED ON THE STRENGTH
> OF OUR TALENT POOL THIS YEAR.

“Since staging Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ at Mohawk three years ago, it’s
been something of an understanding between Neale Gay and myself that we would
never settle for a ‘high school play,’ ” Whitney said. “We want audiences to
find emotional resonance in our actors’ performances and have a theatrical
experience that goes beyond standard drama department fare. So far, so good and
we’ve every reason to believe that this play is going to continue in that
tradition.”



Rachel Glod on how the cast is responding to the play’s characters and issues:
“In one way or another it seems that every member of the cast can relate to the
story of Willy Loman. As they analyzes the words of Miller they become painfully
aware of the characters’ dynamic personalities, their bare, raw human
characteristics, their flaws.

“It takes an emotional toll, but ultimately the tragic story of not only Willy
Loman, but also Linda, Biff, and Happy Loman, serves as an outlet for
introspection into their own lives and what they want out of them. It is our
hope to give this opportunity to the audience and for it to be as significant
and palpable as it is for the cast.”

Neale Gay on the meaning of “Death of a Salesman” today: “This is a play with
characters that are immediately relatable to our actors, as they are reaching a
point in their lives when they understand that their parents occupy more space
in the world than merely a protector, a provider, and a teacher.

“Namely, they see their parents are human. Willy Loman is a man the world
outgrew, and that’s a condition everyone will have to one day consider as they
see their parents age, and they themselves progress from youth to adulthood,
from adulthood to old age.”

Scott Whitney on this production’s talent pool: “Leon Tuthill (who plays Willy
Loman and is seen at right in an early rehearsal) is something of an ‘old soul,’
as they say, and has a reputation for spot-on imitations of our faculty, so we
thought that we’d put that to productive use. Chelsie Field has given us two
incredible performances, in Ionesco’s ‘Rhinoceros’ last year and this year’s
Dorothy Parker monologue. It would have made sense to undertake ‘Salesman’ just
on the strength of their pairing, but we found ourselves with an equally strong
supporting cast.”


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AS SHOW DATE NEARS, CAST AIMS FOR NUANCE IN PORTRAYALS

Posted: April 25, 2011 in Uncategorized

0

By BRENNA KEOGH

All involved with the Mohawk Arts and Education Council’s production of “Death
of a Salesman” were given a break from daily rehearsals during school vacation
from April 18-22.

However, lack of rehearsals did not eliminate work for most cast members. When
practices resume on Tuesday, April 26, all are expected to have memorized their
lines and be “off book.”

This task will be especially difficult for lead roles Willy Loman (Leon Tuthill)
and Linda Loman (Chelsie Field). Their efforts in memorization will be
critically important so that actors and actresses can continue getting deeply in
to their characters.

As Field says, “Memorizing so many lines comes from dedication and practice.
Turning those words into a performance comes from a genuine passion and love for
acting.”

Without scripts actions can be blocked with more nuance and specificity. This
process of micro-blocking will be paired with the integration of props.

As pieces of the production come together the crew continues to enjoy all parts
of the process. Student director Rachel Glod explains, “We will also be having a
ton of fun (always)!”


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FOR ACTORS, IT TAKES A FAMILY FEELING TO RAISE A VILLAGE OF LOMANS

Posted: April 17, 2011 in Uncategorized

2

By THEO GABRIEL

Here’s the scene: Maxx Crowl, Chelsea Field and I, joined by others from the
cast, sit outside of the Mohawk Trail Regional High School auditorium with
battered scripts and trade comments in funny voices.

Curious teachers and students stop and watch as these young actors work to bring
Biff, Linda and Happy Loman, and a few others, to life.

Lines snatched out of context sound strange to the passersby. Looks and laughs
pass among the actors as they continue to practice for the coming show of Arthur
Miller’s “Death of A Salesman.“

Perhaps nowhere else at Mohawk can such camaraderie be seen as in the drama
department during the making of this production.

As one in the middle of it, I can report that the bonds being formed are
priceless and lay the basis for true friendship.

This team-building experience is important to the performance not only because
it helps the cast memorize, but because it enables us to connect and begin to
feel more like family, which makes acting on stage as a family look more
authentic.

We are looking forward to the performance. See you there!


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‘SALESMAN’ CAST CONTINUES SEARCH FOR CHARACTER AS FINAL MONTH OF
REHEARSALS BEGINS

Posted: April 17, 2011 in Uncategorized

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By LUCIE McCORMICK

For weeks, the cast and crew of “Death of a Salesman” had been working at
blocking scenes and running through the script. After much hard work, they have
completed the blocking of the entire show. Now it’s time for memorization before
school starts again next week.

And then comes the task of getting these characters to come alive onstage at
Mohawk.

A great deal of stress has been put on many of the cast members. According to
some of his fellow actors, Leon Tuthill, who has many lines in the play as Willy
Loman, has “been putting his best foot forwards” despite the pressure put on him
to memorize the script.

Maxx Crowl, who plays the character of Biff, said during a short interview, “I
think it’s going alright, as long as everyone memorizes their lines … we have
good actors and actresses.”

Last week, the cast was to run approximately one hundred pages of the script as
well as viewing a film version of Arthur Miller’s play to see their characters
in action.

Having attended several of the rehearsals myself, I believe that this show is
going to be extremely good and do justice to the play.


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SIX WEEKS TO OPENING: ‘SALESMAN’ CAST BLOCKS SCENES, MEMORIZES LINES

Posted: April 5, 2011 in Uncategorized

0

> By BRENNA KEOGH
> 
> With six weeks left until production, the “Death of a Salesman” cast is
> doggedly memorizing lines. They are running scenes using scripts, but by the
> end of April break, practices will be “off book.”
> 
> Directors are steadily working through the text and are more than halfway
> through the initial blocking process. The uniquely designed set, constructed
> March 26, helps actors and directors alike, both in acting and blocking.
> 
> After school ended March 29, the Mohawk auditorium stirred into life as actors
> playing leading characters arrived to continue blocking.
> 
> Bernard (Riley Kelleher) arrived, quickly followed by Willy Loman (Leon
> Tuthill). Simultaneously, his sons, Biff (Maxx Crowl) and Happy (Theodor
> Gabriel), wandered on the stage.
> 
> Characters practiced lines calmly sitting on the edge of platforms and the
> tops of fold-over seats. Directors Neale Gay, Scott Whitney, and Rachel Glod
> conversed quietly.
> 
> When Linda (Chelsie Field) arrived, the group straightened up and organized to
> begin blocking the scene in which Willy daydreams about talking to his brother
> Ben and the moments before his son Biff’s football game.
> 
> Whitney was in the pit working the scenes through his mind, as actors and
> actresses read lines, moving around the stage and through the set. He
> suggested that Happy enter on stage left and that Willy remain at center
> stage, while Ben should check his watch as he said a certain line.
> 
> The scene was run again with modifications. The cast then continued on to
> another.
> The cast presses on despite school cancellation on April 1 with an added
> rehearsal Sunday and through the following school week.


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‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’ CAST LIST ANNOUNCED

Posted: March 27, 2011 in Uncategorized

0

The following is the Mohawk Trail Regional High School’s cast of “Death of a
Salesman,” which opens May. 13

WILLY LOMAN — Leon Tuthill
LINDA — Chelsie Field
BIFF — Maxx Crowl (pictured)
HAPPY — Theodor Gabriel
BERNARD — Riley Kelleher
THE WOMAN — Liberty Styles
CHARLEY — Richard Creque
JENNY — Alanna MacLeod-Bluver
STANLEY — Allen Gabriel
OPERATOR VOICE — Allen Gabriel
SECOND WAITER — Owen Bragdon
MISS FORSYTH/GIRL — Gabriel Chevalier
LETTA — Eliza Hollister
SECRETARY — Lucie McCormick
VOICE OF HOWARD’S WIFE — Lucie McCormick
DINER CUSTOMER — Aaron Davis
HOWARD — Scott Whitney
UNCLE BEN — Neale Gay


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PBS INTERVIEW WITH MILLER ON PLAY’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Posted: March 24, 2011 in Uncategorized

0

In June 1999, The News Hour on PBS devoted a long segment to the 50th
anniversary of “Death of a Salesman.”

A transcript of the broadcast is available.

The piece interspersed scenes of an anniversary production of the play on
Broadway, starring Brian Dennehy as Willy Loman, with on-camera interviews with
actors and directors.

Playwright Arthur Miller joined program to talk about how he views the play.

 

 

 


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