Attention Must Be Paid is inspired by the true history of dramatist Arthur Miller. This script is about the relationships between Miller, his wife and photojournalist Inge Morath, and their son Daniel. Daniel was born with Down Syndrome. His parents institutionalized him shortly after his birth and kept him a secret their entire lives. My non-narrative, experimental play exposes both the causes that led to this decision and its lasting reverberations.
Awards
Finalist for the Playwright Invitational, American Bard Theatre Company, 2025
Semi-Finalist for the Annual Summer Play Festival, The Road Theatre, 2025
Semi-Finalist for the New Works Northwest Festival, ACT Theatre, 2025
Winner of the Seattle One-Act Play (SOAP) commission, Baker Theatre in partnership with ACT Theatre and Hugo House, 2023
Production and Development History
Staged Reading, Shattered Glass Project, May 2026
Workshop, Sewanee Writers' Conference, July 2025
Staged Reading, Seattle One-Act Play Commission, Baker Theatre in partnership with ACT Theatre and Hugo House, August 2023
Workshop, Experimental Writers' Workshop, Silver Glass Productions, January-March 2022
Workshop, Playwriting Symposium, Mid-America Theatre Conference, March 2020
Workshop, Creative Writing Workshop, University of New Orleans, September 2019
“A revelatory reflection on Arthur Miller, Inge Morath, and the son they consigned to an institution. Rooted in the interior drama of this true story, this work from young Seattle playwright Anna Tatelman heralds the arrival of a major new talent.”
“I heard this play at the Mid-American Theatre Conference, and was taken with the journeys the characters travel in away from each other and the possible futures that could have been. A nuanced, powerful exploration of centrifugal grief.”
“ANNA TATELMAN has written a breathtaking play, which touched me in a profound way. I have read and reread Arthur Miller’s great play, “Death of a Salesman”. I cannot help but wonder if he had been a parent, not just a father, to his son with Down Syndrome would the world have Miller’s first famous play and all the other great plays he wrote. Yet, I am saddened for his child, through no fault of his own, is essentially discarded by Arthur Miller almost as a nuisance. This play is a “WOW!” “Attention Must Be Paid” is FANTASTIC!”
“This play brings so much magic to the institutionalized skeletons lurking in this historical couple's closet. Tatelman brings this comet of a piece to life with her use of photographic language that dances easily between Inge and Arthur as they recount their experiences with parenthood, regret, and, for me--asks the ultimate question of whether art and life are only attainable at the expense of others.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed hearing this play at the 2020 Mid-America Theatre Conference. It is a powerful and moving examination of a closely held secret in playwright Arthur Miller’s life: his rejection of a son born with Down Syndrome.”
“Beloved playwright Arthur Miller is called onto the carpet here and we are privy to what might have been his thinking in abandoning his Down Syndrome child. All new to me and fascinating as well as feeling authentic. I was reminded of Long Days Journey Into Night, written by Eugene O'Neil, Miller's favorite playwright. Which is also mentioned in the play. There's something cool and deep going on here and -- Attention Must Be Paid.”
“A deeply human play putting guilt, art, parenthood, abandonment, and love together. To read this play isn’t enough. It should be read aloud to be experienced properly as any good play should be. Anna Tatelman makes a beautifully lyrical play that not only tells a story but also reflects two points of view going through a deep angst as time and historical events pass. A marvelous work."
“A fable of a man who championed the forgotten American as he chooses to forget his son so that he can continue his artistic life. Is there morality in art? Can the art and the artist be separated? The play blends heartbreak with a calculating lens. I was riveted throughout and overwhelmed with might have been."