The Mockingbird at Black Hawk's “Death of a Salesman,” August 20 through 29

Thursday, August 20, through Saturday, August 29

Black Hawk College Theatre, Building 1, Room 306, Moline IL

A dramatic landmark whose 2026 Broadway return recently won six Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play, Arthur Miller's timeless Death of a Salesman serves as the debut production in a new collaboration between the Mockingbird on Main and Black Hawk College, the show's August 20 through 29 run at Black Hawk treating audiences to an undisputed classic playing locally fewer than two weeks after its New York run ended.

Miller's Death of a Salesman premiered on Broadway on February 10, 1949, running for 742 performances. A two-act tragedy originally subtitled "Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem," the play is set in late 1940s Brooklyn and told through a montage of memories, dreams, and arguments of the protagonist Willy Loman, a traveling salesman who is despondent with his life and appears to be slipping into states of dementia. Miller's work addresses a variety of themes, such as the American Dream, the anatomy of truth, and infidelity, and the show won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Since its premiere, Death of a Salesman has been revived on Broadway five times, winning a to-this-day unprecedented four Tony Awards for Best Revival. It has also been adapted for the cinema 10 times, and in 1999, The New Yorker drama critic John Lahr said that with 11 million copies sold, it was "probably the most successful modern play ever published."

With Death of a Salesman, Black Hawk College and area theatre company The Mockingbird on Main are initiating a new, ongoing partnership dedicated to producing professional-caliber theatre designed to be accessible, educational, and deeply connected to the community. This collaboration brings together Black Hawk College’s commitment to student opportunity and learning with The Mockingbird’s mission to create bold, meaningful storytelling rooted in both classic and contemporary works. The partnership will offer students, emerging artists and community members hands-on theatrical experiences both onstage and behind the scenes, while expanding access to live theatre in the Quad-Cities region.

Death of a Salesman is being directed by Mockingbird co-founder and Black Hawk College alum Tristan Tapscott, with fellow BHC alum and professor Dr. Traci Davis serving as executive producer. "We want this to be a true community effort," said Davis. "It’s the essence of what Black Hawk College is – a community college for everyone – and we want this to be a theatre for everyone"
Tapscott added, "In the Quad Cities, the arts don’t just reflect the community – they are the community: where neighbors become audiences, audiences become collaborators. We hope this partnership can offer yet another opportunity to work together and inspire the next generation. When education and artistry meet, the arts don’t just exist; they grow. And together with Black Hawk, we can ensure that they thrive.”

Portraying protagonist Willy Loman is area favorite James Driscoll, who also played the role in the Richmond Barn Theatre's 2013 production of Death of a Salesman, with Emmalee Hillburn as Willy's long-suffering wife Linda, and Benjamin David and Jack Carslake as the Lomans' adult sons Biff and Happy. Completing Tapscott's ensemble are: Renaud Haymon as Charlie; Dana Moss-Peterson as Uncle Ben; Morgan Wehling as Bernard; Eric Teeter as Howard and Stanley; Madalyn Shierloh as Letta; Marley Haley as Jenny and Miss Forsythe; and Sophia Kilburg as The Woman.

The Mockingbird at Black Hawk's Death of a Salesman will be performed in Black Hawk College's Theatre in Building 1, Room 306, August 20 through 29. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., admission is “Pay What You Can” ticket pricing, and more information and tickets are available by visiting Facebook.com/TheMockingbirdOnMain.