Classic Theatre Gets a New Home, Opens DEATH OF A SALESMAN Tonight

After five and a half years of residence at the Blue Star Arts Complex, Classic Theatre of San Antonio has made a new home in the Black Box of the Woodlawn Theatre! As a special treat, our debut production in the new space is Death of a Salesman.

The play is not just about American fathers and sons; Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman has themes that are universal: love, betrayal, expectations, hopes, and the American Dream. The story is iconic, about an everyman with aspirations for something greater, to leave a legacy that his world will remember him for, and the tragic loss of that dream at the hands of an ever changing world around him. Salesman has had a lasting impact on American literature and earned not only the Pulitzer Prize for Drama but the Tony Award for Best Play in 1949. Since then it has been an educational staple, taught in English and Drama Departments in high schools, colleges and universities throughout the country since its mass publication in the 1950s.

Once Willy Loman was the best traveling salesman in his territory. Time has caught up with him, and threatens to leave him behind. His wife, Linda, hopes he can transfer to an office job close to home in New York since his tenure with the company should have earned him that. Willy's belief that the key to success is to be well liked forces him to struggle with why his now adult sons, Biff and Happy, have failed to learn that lesson. As Willy tries to instill in his sons the values he has lived by, he clings tenaciously to his version of the American Dream-even as he watches it quickly slip away.

Classic founders Allan S. Ross and Terri Peña Ross star as Willy and Linda Loman. This is not the first time the duo have performed together, they starred as troubled married couples in Classic's ATAC Award-Winning productions of The Lion in Winter, All My Sons, and Painting Churches. The cast is rounded out with familiar Classic Classic faces: Tony Ciaravino, Byrd Bonner, David Rinear, John Stillwaggon, and Morgan Clyde; as well as new ones: Meredith Alvarez, Karie Ann Randol, Victor Trevino, Kenneth Lopez, and Jared Stephens, making their first appearances with Classic.

Salesman is directed by Jim Mammarella, who previously acted in Classic's production of Waiting for Godot and has directed numerous shows in the San Antonio area. Salesman also hosts an impressive production team, including a scenic design by Ronald Watson, lighting design by Felice Garcia, and a sound and costume design by Classic founders Rick and Diane Malone.

This production was originally slated to open February 8, due to our schedule with the Blue Star Arts Complex. With our new venue comes the freedom to open our productions on first Friday, so we shall be opening February 7! The Classic Theatre of San Antonio is located next door to the Woodlawn Theatre at 1924 Fredricksburg Road. Death of a Salesman will be performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM beginning tonight, February 7 and running through February 23. All General Admission tickets are $25.00, Senior/Military/SATCO tickets are $20 and Students with ID are $10. Call 1-800-838-3006 or go to www.classictheatre.org and click on Buy Tickets. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 210-589-8450.

Photo DWayne Green.

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