Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” (Satıcının Ölümü) premiered at Etimesgut City Theatre (Etimesgut Kent Tiyatrosu) in a new production directed by Jason Hale, chair of Bilkent University’s Department of Performing Arts. Staged by the Etimesgut Municipality City Theatre, the production brings a foundational modern drama to audiences through a collaboration that also highlights Bilkent’s contribution to professional theatre practice in Ankara.
First premiered in 1949, “Death of a Salesman” remains a defining work of twentieth-century theatre for its intimate, unsentimental portrayal of a family under pressure and its critique of the social expectations surrounding “success.” Through Willy Loman, the
play exposes the loneliness beneath the rhetoric of respectability and the “American Dream,” while tracing how economic insecurity, status anxiety and the erosion of dignity can shape a person’s inner life. The text’s movement between present experience and memory gives the story its distinctive structure, sharpening its focus on self-deception, regret and the fragile narratives people build to endure.
The production team included Ege Tolga (THEA ’23), a part-time instructor at Bilkent University’s Department of Performing Arts, who served as assistant director. The Turkish translation was prepared by Barkın Kenan (THEA ’17), a member of BILT (Bilkent International Laboratory Theatre). Among the actors were Melih Efeçınar (THEA ’14) and İbrahim Cem Civan (THEA ’25).
Etimesgut Mayor and Artistic Director of Etimesgut Kent Tiyatrosu Erdal Beşikçioğlu publicly recognized Hale’s direction after the premiere, noting that the staging translated the spirit of Miller’s text into a striking and resonant stage language.
