Miller Conference
Death of a Salesman at 75
October 19, 2024
Sponsored by the Arthur Miller Society and
the Arthur Miller Writing Studio at
The Minor Memorial Library
23 South St.
Roxbury, Connecticut
The Fourteenth International Arthur Miller Conference will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Broadway premiere of Arthur Miller’s masterpiece. We are pleased to hold this conference in Miller’s beloved, bucolic town of Roxbury where he wrote the play in the writing studio that he built with his own hands and still stands on the Tophet Road property he once owned.
This one-day conference is FREE and will emphasize relevance and influence: how for 75 years Death of a Salesman has connected to readers and audiences throughout the world. As Lynn Nottage wrote in her foreword to the 2015 Centennial edition of Miller’s collected plays (Penguin Random House), “Miller’s plays have transcended time, not simply because they are beautifully crafted, but also because they are important social documents that capture moral conundrums that resonate powerfully for audiences today.”
Morning sessions will feature academic papers from varied critical and performance perspectives. Papers will be delivered at the venue and from abroad in a live roundtable discussion. Scholars from Spain, England, Italy, Bulgaria, Brazil, and India will demonstrate unique international perspectives on the play. Sue Abbotson of Rhode Island College is delivering the keynote address: “Why Arthur Miller is the Best American Playwright and Death of a Salesman his Best Play.”
The afternoon will highlight the teaching and learning aspects of Miller. The first session is a roundtable of educators who will discuss their experiences engaging students. That will be followed by a panel of students who have read the play, and they will read short papers and answer questions. The final session will be “Remembering Arthur Miller,” a panel consisting of local Roxbury residents who will reminisce about the man they knew.
The day will begin with a continental breakfast at 8 am; we will break for a light lunch at noon and enjoy a late afternoon reception after the final panel.
There will be a screening of the 1985 TV production of Death of a Salesman, starring Dustin Hoffman, on the Friday evening before the conference.
Further information about the program schedule, participants, and registration details are posted below.
Registration: The registration form is posted below. Online registration is required for the FREE event. Please register as early as possible to assist in our planning for the breakfast, lunch, and reception. Registration will close on October 10.
Travel and Lodging: Roxbury is located in a rural part of Connecticut, approximately a 2-3 hour drive from New York and Boston. Travel by car is essential. Attendees and participants looking for lodging accommodations can consult travel sites that offer best rates. Be aware that October is leaf season in New England, so hotels and motels can fill up quickly.
Questions can be addressed to conference chair Steve Marino at: arthurmillerjournal@gmail.com
This event is a collaboration between the Arthur Miller Society and the Arthur Miller Writing Studio (arthurmillerstudio.org).
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED;
THE EVENT WILL BE LIVE STREAMED.
Biographies of Presenters (click to download)
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
6:00 p.m.: Screening of the 1985 TV production of Death of a Salesman, starring Dustin Hoffman.
LOCATION: The Spring Hill Vineyard, 292 Bee Brook Road, New Preston, Connecticut
Link for details
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19
8:00 – 8:45 a.m.: Registration and Breakfast
All sessions are located in the exhibit hall of the Minor Memorial Library.
9:00 a.m.: Welcome
Sarah Griswold, President, The Arthur Miller Studio, Inc.
Jane K. Dominik, President, The Arthur Miller Society
Stephen Marino, Editor, The Arthur Miller Journal
Session I: 9:10-10:45 a.m.: International Reception of Death of a Salesman
Kornelia Slavova, University of Sofia, St Kliment Ohridski
“Staging Death of Salesman in the Soviet Era: Censorship and Translation Politics”
Roundtable Discussion (via Zoom): The International Reception of Death of a Salesman
Moderators:
Ramon Espejo-Romero, University of Seville, Spain
Kornelia Slavova, Sofia University, Bulgaria
Participants:
Dr. John London (Queen Mary University of London)
Dr. Michael Hooper (Independent Scholar, UK)
Dr. John Bak (University of Lorraine, France) ACTiF, ANR Project
Dr. Emeline Jouve (University of Toulouse, France) ACTif, ANR Project
Dr. Alessandro Clericuzio (Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy)
Dr. Esther Marinho (Sao Paulo University, Brazil)
Dr. Ambika Singh (Independent Scholar, India)
Dr. Tomas Kacer, Marsaryk University, Czechia
Session II: Keynote Address: 11:00 a.m.: Susan Abbotson, Rhode Island College
“Why Arthur Miller is the Best American Playwright and Death of a Salesman his Best Play”
12:00 p.m.: Lunch, Minor Memorial Library
Session III: 1:00-2:30 p.m.:
Reading:
Arthur Miller explains Death of a Salesman to a student in a newly-discovered 1949 letter — read by Kimiye Corwin
Teaching Death of a Salesman
A roundtable of educators discuss their experiences engaging students
Moderator:
Jane K. Dominik
Participants:
Joshua Polster, Emerson College
Jan Balakian, Kean University
Davyne Verstandig, University of Connecticut
Shennen Flannery, Central Connecticut State University
Marla Truini, Westover School
Ramon Espejo-Romero, University of Seville
Kent Burnham, The Frederick Gunn School
Ricky Oliver, The Hartt School
Session IV: 2:45-3:45 p.m.: Learning Death of a Salesman
A panel of students from St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, Queens, deliver papers and discuss their experience with the play
Moderators:
Eric Hafker and Elizabeth Prohaska, St. Francis Prep
Special Presentation: 4 p.m.: The Arthur Miller Foundation: Jaime Hastings, Executive Director
“Arthur Miller Foundation: Equitable Access to Sustainable Public School Theater Education”
Session V: 4:15-5:15 p.m.: Remembering Arthur Miller
Local Roxbury residents reminisce about the man they knew.
CLOSING RECEPTION