5:19 p.m.
When the audience leaves the theater, the real work begins. The crew, which totals 10, gathers up pork chop bones, soggy paper flower garlands, pieces of glass, and proceeds to vacuum and mop the stage. Then, they unhinge and unscrew the set, until it pops apart in several pieces.
A whirring sound comes from the back of the stage as the back wall rises, and out comes the set for Death of a Salesman. The crewmembers work quickly, fitting pieces together like a puzzle, then moving the Streetcar set backstage. They work seamlessly at a process they’ve completed 23 times so far. They finish by 5:51.
7 p.m.
The energy is different for Death of a Salesman. One of the actors lounges on a couch from Streetcar’s set as he waits to go on. A crewmember crochets quietly. Everything seems more subdued.
Wallis describes it as an understanding that the crew and actors have already worked hard at one play and just have to keep going to get through the second. There won’t be any going out for drinks tonight, she says. “There’s a certain reality that we’ve spent a lot of time with each other and we’re kind of done,” she says.
Wil Love, who plays Death of a Salesman’s main character Willy Loman, takes a swig of water as he waits in the wings. “The anticipation is always the hardest part,” he remarks. When he hears his cue at 7:30, he picks up his suitcases and heads on stage as Wallis opens the door. There’s only three more hours before the end of her night.