Death of a Salesman begins performances at the Stratford Festival

Stratford, ON… Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize–winning classic Death of a Salesman takes the stage at the Stratford Festival, immersing audiences into the fragile, deeply human world of Willy Loman. Directed by Dean Gabourie and starring Tom McCamus as Willy alongside Lucy Peacock as Linda Loman, the production remains one of theatre’s most piercing explorations of ambition, identity and the cost of the American dream.

In this searing portrait, an aging salesman clings to a fading vision of success, convinced that charm and perseverance will secure the respect and stability he has spent his life chasing. As memory and reality blur, the illusions that have sustained him begin to unravel, exposing the quiet devastation of a family in crisis. With emotional immediacy and striking set and costume design, this production draws audiences into an intimate world where past and present collide, long-suppressed truths emerge and the price of unfulfilled promise is revealed.

“Ultimately, Death of a Salesman is about the cost of familial loyalty. Willy offers the ultimate sacrifice for his family because he believes it is the only way to provide them with the financial stability and inheritance that he failed to achieve through a lifetime of selling,” says Gabourie. “Although brutal and misguided, in Willy’s mind, this deeply poignant sacrifice is an act of love.”

Death of a Salesman also features Josh Johnston as Happy Loman, Matthew Kabwe as Charley, David W. Keeley as Uncle Ben, and Joe Perry as Biff Loman, with Sean Arbuckle as Howard Wagner, Shane Carty as Second Waiter, Michael Louis Johnson as Stanley, Trumpet Player, Karthik Kadam, Devin MacKinnon, Krystin Pellerin as Miss Forsythe, Irene Poole as Jenny, Chick Reid as The Woman, Raymond Strachan as Bernard, Liam Tobin, Nadine Villasin as Letta and Jennifer Villaverde.

Gabourie is joined by Set Designer Scott Penner, Costume Designer Denyse Karn, Lighting Designer Louise Guinand, Composer and Music Curator Michael Louis Johnson and Sound Designer John Gzowski.

Death of a Salesman officially opens on May 28 and runs until October 24 at the Avon Theatre. Tickets are available at stratfordfestival.ca or by calling 1.800.567.1600.

The 2026 season also features The Tempest, Guys and Dolls, Something Rotten!, Waiting for Godot, The Hobbit, The Importance of Being Earnest, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, The Tao of the World and The King James Bible Play. For more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca.