Correction (Jan. 28 12:45 a.m.): Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this story listed an incorrect date for the post-performance discussion with Jules Odendahl-James as Sunday, Jan. 31. The actual discussion will be held Feb. 7. The story has been updated to reflect the correction. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
In the course of a single day, two families deal with post-war realities in the wake of World War II, determining where their loyalties lie in business, family and love.
PlayMakers Repertory Company presents the production of Arthur Miller’s play, “All My Sons,” which is set in the final days of WWII. The play premieres at 8 p.m. today and runs through Feb. 14 in the Paul Green Theatre.
“World War II changed everything,” said actor Jeffrey Cornell. “It changed families. It changed America, and this is a story about a family that was changed by that and how they are able to go on from that.”
The plot unfolds in the spacious backyard behind the Keller family’s house, creating an illusion of openness. As entanglements arise between the Kellers and their neighbors, secrets loom beneath the everyday conversations and interactions of the characters.
“We really believe it is an important play to be doing in this time, in 2010,” said PlayMakers Managing Director Hannah Grannemann. “That is why we chose it for the season.”
She said that the play is as relevant today with the country’s involvement in international wars as it was when the play premiered in 1947.
The play tackles ethical issues both about business and personal decisions, which applied during WWII and are still important now.
“The play deals with issues of responsibility and loyalty, both to family and to country and to others besides ourselves and what it means to love, and is it possible to love when those loyalties are broken,” Cornell said.
The cast and crew got a hand with historical context from the research of dramaturge Jules Odendahl-James.
Dramaturges study cultural and historical behaviors so that actors can accurately embody the characters they portray.
Odendahl-James studied how men and women interacted with one another, how family dynamics worked and how WWII affected people’s lives.
Through reading a collection of romantic letters written during wartime, studying old Hollywood films and watching educational videos of the 1940s and 1950s, Odendahl-James compiled information of proper etiquette between men and women.
“Arthur Miller as a playwright was very much on the pulse of what was happening in that time,” Odendahl-James said.
Influenced by a true story he heard from his mother-in-law, Miller drew inspiration from this event and his own experiences.
“In 1944, he collected a number of soldiers’ stories that were probably at the back of his mind when he wrote this play,” Odendahl-James said.
Miller also witnessed his own father’s successful business slowly disintegrate beneath him, she said, explaining part of his focus on the family consequences of business decisions.
In addition to the performances, PlayMakers has opportunities for discussion and education. A discussion with Odendahl-James will take place following the 2 p.m. performance on Sunday.
Other activities include the North Carolina Psychoanalytic Society’s Mindplay discussions, which will follow the 8 p.m. performance on Feb. 13, and the 2 p.m. performance on Feb. 14. These discussions are meant to provide a historical background and psychoanalysis behind the characters and the story.
Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
