Salesman in China: Arthur Miller’s Classic Play Bridges Cultures at Stratford Festival
Materials from Stratford Festival, with notes from Fête Chinoise Editorial Team
IMages Courtesy: Stratford Festival, Photography by Ted Belton & david Hou.
August 3 to October 26, 2024 at Avon Theatre, Stratford
Stratford Festival is always a premier destination for theatrical productions. This year, they are showcasing the world premiere of Salesman in China by Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy, a play that tells a universal and timely story, reminding us of our shared humanity, optimism, and faith.
In 1983, during a time of shifting international relations, Arthur Miller brought his acclaimed play Death of a Salesman (1949) to China. The play's themes—travelling salesmen, personal automobiles, and insurance policies—posed significant challenges in translation for a Chinese audience unfamiliar with these Western concepts. Directed by Miller himself and starring the legendary Chinese actor Ying Ruocheng, the production required extensive negotiation and adaptation to bridge the cultural divide and emphasize the play’s universal themes. Salesman in China explores this untold history, drawing from the memoirs of Arthur Miller and Ying Ruocheng to reveal the profound cultural exchange that took place.
SYNOPSIS
In 1983, playwright Arthur Miller made history by travelling to China to direct a production of his classic play Death of a Salesman《推銷員之死》. Working with the Beijing People’s Art Theatre, Miller and his collaborators struggled to bridge the gap between languages, cultures and national identities for an audience long shut off from the West. Enjoying its world première at Stratford’s Avon Theatre, Salesman in China retells this daring act of cultural cross-pollination on stage. Shifting seamlessly between Mandarin and English, the play becomes an act of translation, inviting the audience to imagine bold new interpretations of Miller’s iconic tragedy and all works of art.
在一九八三年，美國劇作家阿瑟•米勒應邀到中國導演他的著名劇作《推銷員之死》。阿瑟與北京人民藝術劇院的合作人員歷經萬難排除語言、文化和國家認同的差異，拉近當地觀眾與長期疏遠的西方國家之間的距離。《推銷員在中國》在舞台上重現這次中美文化交流史上的大膽行動。
Presented in English and Mandarin with surtitles in both languages. 以中英雙語演出，配有字幕。
The cast
The play features prominent stage talents including Tom McCamus as Arthur Miller and Adrian Pang 彭耀順 as Ying Ruocheng. The cast also includes Jo Chim 詹翠珊 as Wu Shiliang, Phoebe Hu 胡馨勻 as Zhu Lin, Derek Kwan 關顯揚 as Cao Yu, Sarah Orenstein as Inge Morath, and more, bringing a wealth of theatrical talent to Stratford’s stage.
Salesman in China (Teaser) | Stratford Festival 2024
"My head feels like a bridge that all of Beijing has been walking over."
“Their (Miller and Ying) optimism was grounded in a shared belief that we are at our best when we seek to know the Other. Miller and Ying set out to explore what is timeless and universal in human existence. Their international exchange was not about the movement of capital, but the movements of the human heart.”
Director & Co-Playwright Jovanni Sy
Director & Co-PLaywright Jovanni Sy
Reposted from Canadian College of performing arts
Growing up, Jovanni Sy never dreamed about working in theatre.
Although he enjoyed many theatre outings as a student (alas, that was something most schools did in days of yore), none of the artists Sy adored looked like him. With no role models, dreaming of being an actor was like becoming an astronaut or the shortstop for the Blue Jays.
So he did what any dutiful son of immigrants would do and became an engineer. A few years into an undistinguished corporate career, Sy proclaimed himself an Artist and then spent the next 32 years striving to deserve this title.
Early in his newfound vocation, Sy longed to join the Stratford Festival. At that time, however, it was apparent that he and Stratford were not ready for one another.
So Sy forged his own path, working on classical and contemporary works and specializing in new Canadian plays as an actor, playwright, director and artistic director.
And thanks to theatre, Sy got to explore most of Canada, travel around the world and, most importantly, he met his soulmate.
Sy is thrilled to be making his Stratford debut with Salesman in China. He hopes all students who are watching—especially those from immigrant families—dream of acting on this stage one day. They’re ready for you.
Creative Team
Directed by 導演: Jovanni Sy 施崇梵
Written by 編劇: Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy
Chinese Translations 中文翻譯: Fang Zhang
Set Designer 舞台設計: Joanna Yu 余頌恩
Costume Designer 服裝設計: Ming Wong 黄慧明
Lighting Designer 燈光設計: Sophie Tang 湯語菲
Composer and Sound Designer 編曲及音效: Alessandro Juliani
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