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Repertoire

Death of a Man, SALE

Adapted & Directed by

Kim Hyuntak

Original Play by

Arthur Miller

Reviews

“Death of a man SALE” Seongbukdong Beedoolkee Theatre shows how a new style can be created without destroying any message the original text wants to convey. This piece is reduced to 1 hour of running time bey deconstructing and reconstructing the original text of Arthur Miller but it is extraordinarily strong. (…) Willy in a suit runs on a treadmill during the entire performance, and the treadmill representing his car shows how ardently Willy ‘has been running’ throughout his whole life. (…) And the silence at the end of the performance after so much noise effectively portrays the sudden death of a salesman.”

- Kim Sungkyu, Father running and running again out of breath, Journal Dong-A


“The cruelty of capitalism which exhausts human being is transferred to the audience through bodily experience in the cold concrete basement. (…) The treadmill visualizes the life of Willy who had to run ceaselessly in the battlefield of capitalism where rest only meant weeding-out. (…) Willy’s past which appears around him and his present where he’s sweat is pouring materialize the original text where the past and the present intersect.”

- Kim Kiran, Small piece, big step, Korean Theatre Journal

Description

The performance begins with the last scene of the original text where Willy runs toward his death, and the following scenes depict his past life as flashback.

Willy runs on the treadmill for the whole running time and the audience share the very moment in which Willy races his car toward his death. As he runs, his family members appear on stage around him, not following the time sequence but following Willy’s stream of thoughts.

The characters deform the scenes of the original play, while torturing, encouraging or persuading Willy. Each scene and the attitude of characters are reorganized from Willy’s point of view. Willy reminisce his life and his family in a way he wishes to, and this alienates him further away from the others. Willy is a portrait of today’s fathers who were forced to advance into the
battlefield of living and march forward. They, once, have been the backbone of today’s economy but today, they ended up being insignificant and useless.

Through Willy’s physical energy, the play depicts how devoted they were to their family and how miserable and intense their lives were. Willy’s confusion, loneliness, despair, efforts, tears and song knock hard on the audience’s heart with intense heat and energy.

Technical Requirements

Stage
- Basic form of the stage: Black box or Proscenium
* Audience seating is set on stage, facing each other with a road in between.

Lighting
- Venue-adaptable
- Use headlights (practical) and taillights (moving) for a car effect.
- Install lights (moving) around the runway-style stage.
- Include effects like streetlights and neon signs.

Sound
- Qlab with Macbook

Video
- English subtitles prepared
- 2 projectors / 2 screens required (2 projectors on each side of the stage above the audience seat)

Props
- Treadmill–needed for the main actor to perform and rehearse
- 3 swivel chairs with wheels

Tour Size

Total 14
9×performers
5×staff

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