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Rehearsing the American Dream

Arthur Miller's Theater

September 4, 2007 – December 30, 2007

The American playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005) articulated an unparalleled engagement with his historical moment through such plays as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. He remained committed throughout his life to a politics of freedom. This engagement was never simplistic or topical, one of the reasons that his work has remained such a significant part of the staged canon. He compellingly married the emotional and psychological elements of character with concerns about public and political responsibility. The idea of theater providing the conscience for a nation—Miller's intellect and artistry were forged by his US citizenship—pulls his disparate works together into a whole. The exhibition uses Miller's plays to explore conscience in its theatrical expression: as an intertwined and interdependent political and emotional life.