A salesman is got to dream: Death of a Salesman by Raffles Players

Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Koh Shin Robbie (26A01A)

All photographs provided by RIAC

“He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine… A salesman is got to dream, boy.”
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller

This line came from Charley, played by Lu Xueqi (26S06I) in Raffles Players’ annual college production— Death of a Salesman. This quote encapsulated not just the hopes and aspirations of characters in the play by Arthur Miller, but also the team behind the show and their supporters. Students who took Literature in RI Y4 may recall this play as the set text we pored through relentlessly for our Final Examinations, and indeed amongst the audience were many excited Death of a Salesman students (even current Y4s!), eager to watch the play in action.

Bringing the Loman Family to Life

The lead-up to the performance was nothing short of intense. For the Y6s, this marked their third and final play as part of the CCA, and yet the staging of Death of a Salesman came as a new experience once again, as the CCA ventured into producing tragedies after a long line of comedies.

Faced with a fresh challenge, the team began preparations as early as February, pitching the script. After comparing monologues, they selected this work as they felt audiences would deeply resonate with the tragedy of the common man and the pursuit of one’s interests. Raffles Players’ staging also placed heavier emphasis on familial dynamics this time, a shift from contemporary focuses on the American Dream.

Raffles Players conducting their physical training routine

Another instance of their creativity came in the form of the sets and props. As shared by Props and Sets IC Pang Jing Qi (26S03A), while previous stagings abroad had either been fully abstract or realistic, the Raffles Players team hoped to create a blend of both to paint a multi-layered stage picture. In designing the set, they drew out the layout of the stage, and made note to include little details such as creeping foliage and tilted windows to parallel plot developments.

Over on the cast’s end, Chairperson Lu Renyi (25S06C) and Stage Manager Nur Iman Binte Alias (25S06G) worked tirelessly to bring out the characters with the cast. To Renyi, explaining roles to the cast made her feel very strongly, bringing more emotion to each enactment as the cast slowly improved. Iman added that having been involved with a lot of backstage work during rehearsals, she had never actually seen the final product till the last few rehearsals, which she teared up watching. “It’s our baby,” she exclaimed.

At this moment, Iman was called backstage to attend to other matters– a testament to how busy the directorial team had been in the production, from facilitating inter-committee communication to vetting each committee’s materials, including previously unperformed plans. For Costumes and Makeup IC Ng Glenda Claire (26A01E), known to friends as Jalex, this came in the form of… elderly makeup! In creating elderly characters (a sizable portion of the cast), the team had to plan from scratch, creating realistic makeup styles whilst ensuring they looked good onstage.

Adapting to the Challenges

The road to Death of a Salesman was not an easy one, being ridden with obstacles aplenty. The first of which – venue changes. Whereas last year’s The Play That Goes Wrong had been staged in the Theatre Studies Room, a familiar CCA venue to the Players, Death of a Salesman was staged at the Performing Arts Centre instead, thus demanding larger sets and more logistical planning.

Willy and Howard, played by Elena Gan Yin Feng (25A01B) and Javier Ng Yee Choong (26S06T), rehearsing at the Theatre Studies Room

Cast photoshoots at the Theatre Studies Room

Another often-underlooked challenge was brought up by Vice-Chairperson Chua Xin Chen (25A01B) — online systems. From digital publicity such as the trailer screened on the canteen projector, to attention-grabbing reels on their Instagram page, to even operating and troubleshooting the RI-Pay ticketing portal, the directorial team had to split up each person’s focus to juggle production and non-production matters. As part of their first batch project together, the Y5s continued a tradition of being the ones in charge of the elaborate front-of-house decor that welcomed guests to the Performing Arts Centre.

Front-of-house displays that welcomed audiences to the Performing Arts Centre while introducing the various committees

The Players shared that the final challenge were various amendments made to render the production family-friendly and safe for educational consumption, while preserving the visceral undertones of the text. This came in the form of Willy’s adapted ending— disappearing for good.

Or does he? The change came as a shocker to those familiar with the text, but evoked a deep catharsis nonetheless, both textually and metaphysically. In the end, the requiem ended with an impassioned, teary-eyed cast, still immersed in the world of the Loman family, and a great deal of applause.

The Unseen Heroes

As the cast took to the stage for curtain calls, they were joined by a mysterious team of Players dressed in black. Amongst these were the Props and Sets, Costumes and Makeup, as well as a committee we’ve yet to hear from, the Lights and Sounds committee.

As shared by Adel Azlan Mohamed Faroek (26A01E), their team of Y5s, led by sub-IC Namrutha Senthil Kumar (26S03O) had been keeping track of the various audio tracks and lighting cues during the performance. Some scenes demanded up to 7 tracks, with some being overlaid and others needing manual adjustment. “There was genuinely a silent spirit in the Lights and Sounds booth during the performance,” he added.

The Lights and Sound committee at the Theatre Studies Room’s AV booth. The Players have a tradition of sticking their names on tape there.

“There are very few times where I’ve felt the need to genuinely celebrate, but hitting that long string of cues perfectly and silently fist-bumping my team as we celebrate in silence and darkness outweighs any sort of gratification I could’ve gained from just simply finishing the production.”
Adel Azlan Mohamed Faroek (26A01E)

Memories and Remarks

Amongst the many vivid memories shared by the various members, one reflection stood out in particular. Leaving the school this August, the process came as bittersweet to Janice Wong Chi Ching (26A01A), who dubbed it her first and last play in Raffles Players. Playing the sultry character of The Woman, Willy’s onstage mistress, the role demanded a great deal of confidence and bold expression, something Janice had to slowly warm up to. Through session after session with her supportive peers, she became increasingly comfortable.

“I found family in this CCA– a family just as dedicated to making Death of a Salesman a magical experience as I was.”
Janice Wong (26A01A)

The cast during additional rehearsals at the house of cast member Thecla Viyoshi Magha Anagaleka (25S03H), who played Ben and Stanley

As Death of a Salesman came to a close, the directorial team choked up as they delivered their appreciation speeches. To them, the completion, applause and success were the fruits of hard work put in by all their friends. Watching how far the CCA had come, hearing the enthusiastic reactions of the audiences, their years of theatre production culminated in a flurry of intense emotion.

As the Y6s noted the reality of their departure from the CCA, they urged the Y5s to cherish the months of sessions, official and unofficial, and to enjoy the magical experience of putting in effort to a single production. Indeed, in a CCA premised so heavily on collaboration and trust, theatre was more than just acting, but a journey that culminates in radiant pride and joy at the end of the tunnel.

“One day, you’ll look back and recall days of pulling splinters from your fingers.”
Pang Jing Qi (26S03A)

The Players at the post-performance celebrating outside the Theatre Studies Room

As the Performing Arts Centre was vacated, the Players hurried to dismantle the sets and have one last hurrah with their supporters outside the Theatre Studies Room, where it all began. The night ended in exuberant celebrations as Rafflesians flocked to take photos with their friends in Players and congratulate them on the tremendous success. Even on the walk to Bishan MRT, one could hear the laughter of audience members as they recalled the comedic lines delivered by the Biff-Happy-Linda trio, played by Heng Zhi Jie Thaddeus (25S02A), Yi Yuhuan (26S03O) and Tan De Ting Trina (26S03N) respectively, as well as the smoke machines that accompanied Ben, played by Thecla.

With both their SYF performance and annual college production in store for 2026, an intense and exciting season lies ahead of the CCA, and you’ll be sure to hear from us as we cover each stunning performance. Once again, Raffles Press congratulates Raffles Players on the excellent show and wishes them all the best for the road ahead!