Arthur+Miller's+Influence+on+American+Theater7

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 * Arthur Miller was born in 1915.
 * He is an American playwright, best known for his play called //Death of a Salesman// (1949).
 * Arthur Miller wrote political and social plays
 * He was married to Marilyn Monroe. The marriage made him more popular.
 * He appeared on an Humanities magazine
 * Praised by many Americans
 * Broadway lights went out in his honor.
 * He died at age 85 in 2005. He is reportedly working on other plays at the time.
 * He made plays on Broadways more realistic.
 * He grew up during the Great Depression

**Ferris:** : In your life, you've often taken a very visible stand for what you believe in, whether it was refusing to name names at the House Un-American Activities Committee or doing advocacy against censorship. What is the artist's role in political life? **Miller:** I would hope that he would just be a good--if I may use that corny old phrase--a good citizen. People do look to others for some leadership, and it's not bad for them to supply it when they feel that way. I wouldn't lay it down as a rule that an artist has to do anything he doesn't feel like doing, but sometimes there are issues. For example, censorship is of immediate importance to us. They should be taking positions on that and any number of issues that are very close to us, for example, whether or not the humanities are financed, and financed sufficiently, and how they are administered. All that is political policy, but it certainly affects the arts. **Ferris:** : How do you take daily life and turn it into the stuff of art? **Miller:** Well, that's the secret.

**Ferris:** : When you took //Death of a Salesman// to China in 1983, were there any surprises? **Miller:** There were a number. I wrote a book called //The Salesman in Beijing//, a daily diary of what was happening during the course of that production. **Ferris:** : The cultures seem so different, one wonders how Chinese audiences reacted to what seems to be a very American story. **Miller:** It is an American story, but its applications are pretty wide. It doesn't really matter where it's played. Of course, it's not played as much as //The Crucible//. But it's played enough around the world, and it doesn't seem to matter where it is. http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/miller/interview.html

Works Cited:

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/amiller.htm http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/miller/interview.html http://www.michigandaily.com/content/arthur-miller-remembered-theater-embody-playwrights-spirit