Biography of Joe Mielziner

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Recommended: The play death of a salesman by arthur miller, setting characterization symbolism

A small introduction:
Joe Mielziner, born in Paris in 1901, was a famous American scenic and lighting designer considered "The most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway". Throughout his work he created different versions of sets with the use of simple inexpensive materials, and few props, while still staying as realistic as possible even when constricted by small stages. Mielziner was the leader of a new artistic movement in scenic design called "selective realism". The well known piece by Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, was represented many times with Mielziner's stage design which was said to be the most faithful representation for this play. In fact the 2012 revival of Death of a Salesman's set was said by Mike Nichols to be "intimately connected with the way the play develops. I have never seen anything near as good in any of the productions of 'Salesman' because it is everything and nothing." This play with this set design was revived 4 times: once in June 1975 in the Circle in the square Theater running for 71 performances, once in March 1984 at the Broadhurst Theater running a total of 185 performances, then in 1999 at the Eugene O'Neill Theater running for 274 performances and finally in 2012 at the Ethel Barrymore theater in a limited run of 16 weeks: it was a successful play and a successful representation. Joe Mielziner spent a lot of time creating and designing his set for one sole purpose: that of representing in a detailed way the play.

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The Set Design description: How it all Started:
It took Mielziner, an experienced se...

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...f frustration in Willy for his lack of success by depicting with a descriptive language the homes surrounding the house: "solid vault of apartment houses" another proof of the house's and the family's fragility.

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A small Conclusion:
In conclusion, Joe Mielziner was the perfect scenic designer for Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. From the house to the refrigerator to the table to the actual color of a tile, Mielziner was precise, making sure every single detail was accurate with Miller's vision of the play. Following the stage instructions in the play and adding his personal touch to the representation, Mielziner was effective in letting the public figure out and depict the actual visual set.

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