Lebanon Community Theatre stages ‘Death of a Salesman’ this month

Lebanon Community Theatre will put on performances of the 1949 tragedy “Death of a Salesman” starting Thursday, with 7:30 p.m. showtimes Oct. 16-18 and Oct. 23-25 and 2:30 p.m. matinees Oct. 19 and 26.

First-time director Michael Barna said the classic show, a character-focused drama centering on the life of aging traveling salesman Willy Loman, has been a challenge to direct as someone more more used to comedy.

“Going into this, I’m a very comedic person, myself, so this really had to have me dig deep into my brain to understand the drama and the trauma behind this show, especially in the scenes in Act 2,” explained Barna.

Before rehearsals began and after he was selected as a director, Barna researched past productions of the show, though he said he also took heavy inspiration from the 1985 TV film starring Dustin Hoffman. As he researched the script and past productions, he made decisions including how to stage parts of the show, with Willy’s senility putting the “reality” of some scenes into question.

Though the show is set in 1940s Brooklyn, Barna said, the themes continue to resonate today, as Willy finds himself unappreciated in a career he gave up much of his life to excel in.

“Especially with how far you would go for greatness, as you can see with Willy, he went that extra mile but lost himself in the process,” said Barna. “I feel like we see that a lot now, and especially in the current state of the economy with how we’re doing right now; these values still hold up today, almost 100 years after this was written.”

Barna has long known of the show, he said, and noted that many people are already familiar with it in some form, perhaps having read the script for a high school or college literature class.

“Everybody’s probably heard of this show, one way or another, said Barna. “But I feel like this show, with the messages that we’ve talked about, can make sense and be interpreted by just about anybody in any different way.”

The show’s choreography is fairly light compared to some of LCT’s other offerings, with no elaborate showtunes or dance numbers to be seen. Instead, Barna explained, he has encouraged the actors to understand their characters and the choices they make. He praised their work developing chemistry as their characters, creating the impression of a family plagued by decades of trauma.

“The character development really started to come through during the blocking rehearsals,” Barna said, noting that seasoned LCT actors have been able to gel well with new actors through practices. “Especially with the dramatic scenes and the family dynamics that we have between our four actors Troy, Kathleen, Josh, and Lucas, we want to make it feel real so people are able to interpret it better, rather than sitting there scratching their heads.”

Similarly, set design and blocking were carefully chosen to capture the feelings of the characters and scenes, he said.

“It’s very character-focused, so the main thing going into it is documents upon documents of visions of how you want the blocking to look, with how you want set design, little niche things that you want your actors to do throughout,” he said. “It’s a long process, but it comes together.”

After Monday’s dress rehearsal, Barna said that he feels confident in his actors going into this weekend (though they had another dress rehearsal Tuesday night).

When asked what he had to say to people thinking about coming out to the show, Barna had this to say:

“This show can be a bit of a head-scratcher, but come in with an open mind, you’re sure to be entertained. It’s a long show, but sit back, enjoy the ride, put your thinking caps on, and just have fun. It’s a night out at the theatre.”

Tickets can be purchased through Lebanon Community Theatre’s website.