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Beyond the Stage - Bay Area

A classic play reconsidered

The Bay Area’s weekly roundup of arts, culture, and community | March 6 to 12, 2026

A classic play reconsidered
All My Sons at Berkeley Rep | Photo by Kevin Berne

While a play that premiered in 1947, which explores secrets deeply rooted in World War II, its coverups, and its industries, may be deemed by some as simply a historical piece, All My Sons communicates with audiences in the present day surprisingly well. Arthur Miller’s play shows the moral cost of the American Dream through the actions taken by the head of the Keller family.

While keeping true to Miller’s work, Berkeley Rep and Director David Mendizábal have taken a new approach to the story, marrying the struggles of the Keller family with the historical challenges that Puerto Ricans faced in the 1940s.

This week, I invite you to learn more about the production that SF Chronicle is calling “a can’t-miss magnum opus” through a piece from Artistic Fellow Elena Sanchez. – Ciara

When talking about the vision for this production of All My Sons, director David Mendizábal stated that while they had reimagined the Keller family as Puerto Rican for this production, they didn’t want the project to be seen as a Latino fantasy. Rather, it’s a lens for how practical it was for a Puerto Rican family to be wrestling with the American Dream in the 1940s. Although Puerto Rico was ceded to the US during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and Puerto Ricans were later granted birthright citizenship by the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917, Puerto Ricans experienced difficulties in their pursuit of upward mobility as a result of racial and class divides. Upon examining the history of Puerto Rican migration to the East Coast and Midwest, we learn the motivations behind Puerto Rican migration closely mirror those of Miller’s canonical characters’ in their desire to fulfill the American Dream and set up future generations for success. 
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On the Stage

SF Symphony Youth Orchestra

Classical | San Francisco Symphony
March 8 | Tickets

The next-gen talents of the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra journey into realms both spiritual and earthly. 

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Next Line

“Theatre is not for the faint of heart. It’s for people who want to tell the truth. It’s a different kind of discipline and demand on the psyche and the soul.” – Wanda De Jesús

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