ALL MY SONS Closes

ICT MainStage concluded its critically acclaimed run of All My Sons last night in the Dupree Theater at the Irving Arts Center.  As an actor, few plays hold for me as much dramatic impact as does this Arthur Miller classic.  This was my second time in less than a year to be instrumental in re-introducing this American classic to the public consciousness and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

The success of a play, especially one’s first success, is somewhat like pushing against a door which is suddenly opened from the other side. One may fall on one’s face or not, but certainly a new room is opened that was always securely shut until then. For myself, the experience was invigorating. It made it possible to dream of daring more and risking more. The audience sat in silence before the unwinding of All My Sons and gasped when they should have, and I tasted that power which is reserved, I imagine, for playwrights, which is to know that by one’s invention a mass of strangers has been publicly transfixed.  — Arthur Miller

I am grateful to ICT for giving me the opportunity to explore the character of George over the last six weeks of rehearsals and performances.  To our director, Marco Salinas, I extend heartfelt thanks for knowing exactly when to pull me back and when to drop the reins and allow me to run free.  To the cast — Micheal, Diane, Catherine, Jordan, Diana, Fred, Paul and Drew — I offer my deepest appreciation for your talent, commitment and devotion; it was a pleasure sharing the stage with you.  And for those of you who saw the play, thank you for allowing us to share a bit of our lives with you.  We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did bringing it to life.

In the closing of Miller’s play, Chris tells us “there’s a whole universe of people outside and you’re responsible to it.”  He calls us to recognize something bigger than ourselves, our families, our countries.  While I’m not sure Miller and I would have agreed on everything, I do agree there is a something beyond our ability to fully comprehend or appreciate, a loving Entity to whom we are ultimately responsible.  To Him, I reserve my deepest gratitude for this experience, all the others past and those yet to come.