FARMINGTON —Arthur Miller’s award-winning drama, “Death of a Salesman,” is the next featured topic of the University of Maine at Farmington’s New Commons Project. Widely considered one of the best plays of the 20th century, Death of a Salesman explores the promise of the American Dream and the heartbreak of a hardworking man. Miller’s play won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play.
All events are free and open to the public. According to UMF Covid protocol, masks are required in all campus indoor spaces. Attendees are asked to sign in at all events for contact tracing.
Events include:
“What Is a Worker’s Life Worth?: Gen Z, Millennials, and the Death of the American Dream”
Lecture and Workshop by Max Alvarez
Friday, Nov. 19, 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m., The Landing in the UMF Olsen Student Center
The pandemic and the Great Resignation have recently revived the question at the center of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, “What is a worker’s life worth?” Join Max Alvarez, host of Working People podcast and editor in chief at The Real News Network, for a lecture and workshop on Death of a Salesman in relation to ongoing labor issues.
“Workers’ Rights and Current Strikes: Reading Death of a Salesman in a New Era of Labor Unrest”
Local Workers Roundtable with Max Alvarez
Saturday, Nov. 20, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., Roberts Learning Center, Rm. 131
With thousands of workers on strike and millions having left their jobs in the past month, we are in a crucial era of redefining work and worker’s rights. Join Max Alvarez in a roundtable discussion on today’s most pressing labor issues with Andy O’Brien of Maine AFL-CIO, the statewide federation of 160 local unions.
Death of a Salesman Community Performance
Dec. 9 – 11, 7 p.m.; Dec. 12, 2 p.m., UMF Emery Community Arts Center
Directed by award-winning playwright, Linda Britt, the cast of this featured performance is comprised of community members as well as faculty, staff, students and alumni. Because the play is sponsored by The New Commons Project, admission to the performances is free, but reservations are required, and Covid protocols must be followed. Anyone interested in attending can register at http://shorturl.at/jAF37. Please contact Kristen Case, Co-Director of the NCP, for more information ([email protected]; 207-778-7239).
The UMF New Commons Project provides a rich offering of free events including expert talks, discussions, films, workshops and more, many online, for the education and enjoyment of people in Maine and beyond. Nominated by individuals throughout Maine, the selection of New Commons works have the common thread of representing many of the principles and cultural values that inspire and fascinate Maine residents.
The New Commons Project is a public humanities initiative of the University of Maine at Farmington, Maine’s public liberal arts college, in partnership with the Maine Humanities Council. It is made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
To learn more about the New Commons Project, and to view many of the events for the first 12 topics, visit the website at: https://newcommonsproject.org/

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