Salesman in China

推销员在中国

2025-01-16 19:30 2025-01-25 23:30 60 Canada/Eastern 🎟 NAC: Salesman in China

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/35938

In-person event

An NAC English Theatre revival of the Stratford Festival production In 1983, legendary playwright Arthur Miller embarked on an audacious journey to China, joining forces with theatre luminary Ying Ruocheng and the Beijing People's Art Theatre. Their ambitious project? Staging a Mandarin-language production of Death of a Salesman, with Ying portraying the iconic Willy Loman and Miller – despite not speaking a word of Mandarin – directing.  Facing the monumental challenge of...

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Babs Asper Theatre,1 Elgin Street,Ottawa,Canada
January 16 - 25, 2025
January 16 - 25, 2025

January 2025

  1. Jan 16 2025
    Thursday

    7:30pm - preview

  2. Jan 17 2025
    Friday

    7:30pm - opening night

  3. Jan 18 2025
    Saturday

    2:00pm

    7:30pm

  4. Jan 19 2025
    Sunday
  5. Jan 20 2025
    Monday
  6. Jan 21 2025
    Tuesday
  7. Jan 22 2025
    Wednesday

    7:30pm

  8. Jan 23 2025
    Thursday

    7:30pm - talkback

  9. Jan 24 2025
    Friday

    7:30pm

  10. Jan 25 2025
    Saturday

    2:00pm

    7:30pm

Close schedule
A man carrying suitcases walks into an illustration of a busy Chinese market. The script of the Death of a Salesman in English and Mandarin appears in the background.
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Adrian Pang 彭耀順 as Ying Ruocheng (left) and Tom McCamus as Arthur Miller in Salesman in China Stratford Festival 2024 © David Hou
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Members of the company in Salesman in China, Stratford Festival, 2024 © David Hou
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Adrian Pang 彭耀順 as Ying Ruocheng (left) and Tom McCamus as Arthur Miller in Salesman in China Stratford Festival 2024 © David Hou
Theatre Drama
A man carrying suitcases walks into an illustration of a busy Chinese market. The script of the Death of a Salesman in English and Mandarin appears in the background.
untitled-design18
Adrian Pang 彭耀順 as Ying Ruocheng (left) and Tom McCamus as Arthur Miller in Salesman in China Stratford Festival 2024 © David Hou
untitled-design17
Members of the company in Salesman in China, Stratford Festival, 2024 © David Hou
untitled-design19
Adrian Pang 彭耀順 as Ying Ruocheng (left) and Tom McCamus as Arthur Miller in Salesman in China Stratford Festival 2024 © David Hou
“Salesman in China is a BRILLIANT new play, fully ready to take the world’s stages by storm” J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
  • In-person event
  • English
  • Ages 14+
  • ≈ 2 hours and 25 minutes · With intermission
NAC English Theatre Presentation

An NAC English Theatre revival of the Stratford Festival production

In 1983, legendary playwright Arthur Miller embarked on an audacious journey to China, joining forces with theatre luminary Ying Ruocheng and the Beijing People's Art Theatre. Their ambitious project? Staging a Mandarin-language production of Death of a Salesman, with Ying portraying the iconic Willy Loman and Miller – despite not speaking a word of Mandarin – directing. 

Facing the monumental challenge of presenting a play deeply rooted in the American Dream to a Communist Chinese audience, Ying and Miller grapple with logistical and personal obstacles, while operating under the scrutiny of a global audience. Skillfully navigating clashing worldviews and external pressures, their experience serves as a litmus test for the power of art to bring these two polarized worlds together.

Drawing inspiration from the memoirs of Miller and Ying, playwrights Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy take audiences from the rehearsal hall to opening night and unveil the unlikely East-West collaboration that forged a daring international alliance on the stage.

Presented in English and Mandarin, with subtitles. 

Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.

Salesman in China
By Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy
Suggested by the memoirs of Arthur Miller and Ying Ruocheng
Chinese Translations by Fang Zhang
Directed by Jovanni Sy

Literary Acknowledgements :
Salesman in Beijing
by Arthur Miller with photographs by Inge Morath
Voices Carry: Behind Bars and Backstage during China's Revolution and Reform
by Ying Ruocheng and Claire Conceison
Death of a Salesman
a play by Arthur Miller, Chinese translation by Ying Ruocheng

World Premiere

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Jan 13
Jan 14
Jan 15
Jan 16
  • 7:30 pm preview
Jan 17
  • 7:30 pm opening night
Jan 18
  • 2:00 pm
  • 7:30 pm
Jan 19
Jan 20
Jan 21
Jan 22
  • 7:30 pm
Jan 23
  • 7:30 pm talkback
Jan 24
  • 7:30 pm
Jan 25
  • 2:00 pm
  • 7:30 pm
Jan 26
  • By Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy
  • Suggested by the memoirs of Arthur Miller and Ying Ruocheng
  • Chinese Translations by Fang Zhang
  • Directed by Jovanni Sy