Salesman之死, a new play by playwright and Adjunct Associate Professor of Writing Jeremy Tiang, will premiere in October at Off-Broadway mainstay Connelly Theater, presented by Yangtze Rep in association with Gung Ho Projects and directed by Obie-Award-winning director, Michael Leibenluft. Set in 1983 Beijing and featuring an all-female cast, the play is inspired by the true story of Arthur Miller’s stint directing his play Death of a Salesman at the Beijing People's Art Theatre in 1983, despite not speaking a word of Mandarin. The play will be performed in both English and Mandarin, with subtitles for each language.
In an interview with Playbill, Tiang delved into the premise of his play, saying, “The American conversation around diversity is sometimes limited. It often stops short at the borders of this country. This multilingual production has the interplay of cultures and communities at its heart. By delving into a history-making instance of true collaboration between China and America, I hope to bring a historical perspective to this very contemporary issue, as well as reminding audiences that this country has always been strongest when it looks out, not inwards.”
In addition to Tiang, Salesman之死’s production team is jam-packed with Columbia theatre artists. The play’s dramaturg, Annie Jin Wang ’20, is a current fellow in Soho Rep’s Writer/Director Lab, and has previously worked on productions at Rattlestick, The Public Theatre, and others. Yining Cao is a current Theatre Management & Producing student and will be serving as the production’s Producing Associate.
Salesman之死 will run from October 10 to 28, 2023 at Connelly Theater. Tickets can be purchased here.
