ANN ARBOR— For more than a half century, Arthur Miller?s work defined the existential and moral questions at the heart of a post-World War II American society. On March 29, a theatre named to honor the U-M alum opens with ?Playing for Time,? the type of provocative, insightful drama that delves into issues of moral choice and identity found in Miller?s most significant works.

Along with the performance, a range of programs will delve into Miller?s life and work, most notably, ?The Global Miller Symposium,? led by U-M Department of English professor Enoch Brater, a renowned theatre scholar, and author of the recently published ?Arthur Miller?s America: Theatre and Culture in a Time of Change? (University of Michigan Press). The March 29-31 symposium is one of many grand opening events.

Grand opening events are sponsored by Arts on Earth, a new campus-wide initiative. Through performing and visual arts events and exhibits, lectures and symposia, Arts on Earth explores the vital connection among the arts, science, technology, commerce and the impact of shaping values and social conscience.

The inaugural production at the Arthur Miller Theatre is based on a harrowing World War II biographical account of a part-Jewish French cabaret singer. The sold-out play marks a beginning for a venue that aims to reflect and honor Miller?s mores, probing wit and uncompromising vision, said Christopher Kendall, dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

“In the history of the American stage, there have been few playwrights on the scale of Arthur Miller,? Kendall said. ?This theatre honors his accomplishments and influence. For students, it’s more than a stage; it’s a symbol that theatre is a dynamic means to probe the human condition.?

Critics usually cite Miller, Eugene O?Neill and Tennessee Williams as undisputed pillars of American theatre. The U-M venue is the only theatre in the world named for Miller.

For U-M, the opening casts light on the special relationship between Miller and the academic setting where he learned his craft, refined his art and won his initial accolades as an emerging playwright, said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman.

?The connections that students make with teachers during their formative years at the University of Michigan often shape the course of their lives,? she said. ?Arthur Miller knew that first hand, and whenever he came to campus, always spent time with students, knowing the power of his encouragement and interest in their studies.?

Arthur Miller Theatre is located within the Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center on U-M?s north campus, home to the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, School of Art & Design, School of Architecture, and College of Engineering. The lobby features a three-story glass atrium with a central staircase that connects the theatre to the academic wing. The theatre seats 270 in a proscenium configuration with the flexibility of adding a three-quarter thrust design.

The drama center is the new home to the Department of Theatre and the Department of Musical Theatre. State-of-the art facilities feature set building and costume design departments along with the latest high-tech lighting and sound equipment.

The opening play, ?Playing for Time,? will showcase the new venue, said Gregory Poggi, chairman of the Department of Theatre & Drama.

?The play is rarely performed, given its scope and the large scale of its production,? he said. ?So it is fitting to open the Arthur Miller Theatre with a work with which audiences are not familiar, and one that expresses, in Miller?s words, ?raising the truth-consciousness of mankind to a level of such intensity as to transform those who observe it.??

The production is directed by U-M Alumnus Robert Chapel

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