The aim of this essay is to present you with the answers to the following questions on how lighting can and ought to be applied on the theatrical performance of the play ‘Death of a Salesman’ by Arthur Miller.
1-Explain what type of lighting you would have for several different scenes?
It is common knowledge that lighting contributes to the message a play’s scene puts across to its audience since it creates the atmosphere of the set environment within which the play’s scenes are to be performed. The play ‘Death of a Salesman’ holds its own internal light since it leads its audience to self –knowledge shedding light through the protagonist’s personal quest of happiness to the dark aspects of one’s inner questions regarding his / her nature and goals in life.
The opening of the play and the whole action of Act I is suitable for dim light since the set time and place is the end of the night. Almost dark so that only the shadow of Will is visible while walking in the street towards his home, coming back from work at the end of the day. The action in the kitchen has the light which is expected for any room of the house with live presence at night. More light shed on the persons who interact ought to exist so that emphasis on each interaction is given indirectly through the lighting. The scene with the Woman whom Will dances with lost in his own world of recollections, reminiscing of the period of his secret affair with his mistress must have its own separate intense light so that the difference between Will’s present in the kitchen and the past of his recollection is emphasized. Since most of the play is an internal playing of memory lapses taking the audience from present to past and then back to present special changes of lighting are necessary so that this game of time travelling is depicted and given directly to the audience. The intense scenes of arguments and quarrels are to be lighted differently as well since feelings of anger ought to be performed in a set environment of different light from other feelings of nostalgia, of hope or of compromise. Light on the faces of the persons highlighting their facial expressions which can tell more than their words tell is also in order. The final scene when the flute melody is heard and they all leave the stage with Linda’s phrase ‘We are free’ heard as a message brought from the outer space where the persons’ souls had been kept imprisoned due to Will’s blindness towards what the real meaning of success in life really is, demands a special lighting which is to fade away accompanying the loss of the persons’ appearance and Linda’s words which are fading away leaving their intense mark on the audience’s souls and minds.
2-What are the changes between scenes if any and what do they mean?
The changes are direct in terms of changing the scenery, the lighting according to the set environment of each scene but mostly they are emotional and indirect. There is a gradual increasing concern about Will’s state of mind and his sons’ outcome since it becomes evident that the three men of this family are going through their own individual tragedy of witnessing their dreams collapsing while they seem to feel pretty unable or confused to deal with that collapse. There is a change in the voice, in the tone, in the body gestures and posture of the actors and actresses since they ought to follow the emotional development of the play’s plot. All the main person in the play fall into the deep bottom of their unrevealed dreams, problems, fears and agonies. And they appear gradually to come face to face with them admitting their guilt of not doing anything to change their life’s situation.
3-Are there any colors involved and does it show the time of day or time period in any way?
Lights ought to have different colors since they are to depict different time of the day and different places. The opening scene is night. Act II opens at breakfast time. Recollection moments are numerous and they ought to be lighted in pale color, probably light blue so that the idea of memories being a deep ocean troubled by the mind’s tempest could be put across to the audience. The dancing scene with the Woman-Mistress could be light pink or red since it is to depict adultery, the one performed on Will’s behalf whereas the scene of attending Will’s funeral could have some grey or even black shadows. But the last scene when Linda, Happy, Biff and Charley leave the stage accompanied by Linda’s words and the flute melody ought to be lighted a bit different. There is grief here on behalf of all on Will’s unfair loss but there is also an underlying hope of a new opportunity given to them since they finally ‘feel free’ to lead their lives the way they want.
4-Do the lights tell us anything about the mood of the play?
Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ revolves around the death of a man who worked as a salesman all his life to earn his living and to manage to make his American Dream of success come true. This physical death of his main leading person is actually the symbol of the death of one’s soul who has fallen into the trap of materialism and looks for happiness and peace of mind through gaining material wealth. Therefore lights can indeed tell a lot about the mood of this play since it is a play which is characterized by the painful truth lying in one’s meeting his / her own personal failures and mistakes and admitting to them without losing his / her courage to start all over if necessary. This play is a play of a self-orientation mood which enlightens people’s eternal questions and dilemmas concerning the meaning lying in their lives. Such an enlightenment does indeed require the right and cautiously established lighting, when performed on stage.
