Preview

Ostensibly About the Salem Witch Hunts in Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible by Arthur Miller Boldly Indicts McCarthyism in 1953

By Robert W. McDowell, Triangle Theater Review, RobertM748@aol.com

The Raleigh, NC-based Bare Theatre’s Rogue Company will stage Arthur Miller’s harrowing courtroom drama The Crucible Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at Common Ground Theatre in Durham. Set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, The Crucible examines the hysteria that led to the Salem Witch Trials and boldly compares it to the McCarthyism then infecting the American body politic.

“I first heard about this play as required reading in high school in 1990,” says Bare Theatre artistic director Carmen-maria Mandley, who is staging The Crucible with a cast of young people aged 14-21, plus two guest artists aged 24 and 33.

Mandley adds, “I loved it then, as I do now…. This is my second time directing The Crucible. The first time was at Raleigh Little Theatre for the Storytellers program (four years ago, I believe). That production was interrupted by the huge ice storm we had, and I remember vividly cast members gathering at someone’s home to run lines around someone’s fireplace when there was no power at the theater.”

Mandley adds, “It was a wonderful experience to do the show with young people and to witness the discoveries made within the text, particularly when it paralleled something happening in the world, or in their schools or in their homes.

She says, “I chose to do [The Crucible] again because of the advice of one of the young people within Bare’s company and because of the young people coming home from college to return to Rogue Company. The play fit our needs.

The Crucible made its Broadway debut, under the direction of Jed Harris, on Jan. 22, 1953 at the Martin Beck Theatre, where it ran for 197 performances and won two 1953 Tony Awards: for Best Play and for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Beatrice Straight as Elizabeth Proctor). The play was first filmed, in French, as Les Sorcières de Salem (The Witches of Salem) in 1957. Directed by Raymond Rouleau and adapted by noted Existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, the movie starred Yves Montand and Simone Signoret as John and Elizabeth Proctor.

Mandley says, “[W]hat I like best [about The Crucible] is what [the people of Salem] are all caught in-between. The thought of losing a village to the devil or fighting for the innocence of friend, family, and partner; the thought of discovering and acknowledging pretense—the difficulty of living with such an adulterous error, gaining trust after that error, dealing with what one will do to escape the death penalty, watching a community fall into a lie.

She says, “I also love learning about Arthur Miller’s parallel between this time in Salem and the McCarthy era, which is of utmost import to have the young people involved learn about. And of course I love his words. This script. The way they fall and shoot and pour out of the mouths of the actors with ease. I also love, love, love Common Ground Theatre and thought the space would serve for this play and vice versa. Rachel Klem, CGT’s manager was all for it when we asked to bring 18 adolescents back into her theater. She is a champion for us. Working at Common Ground is a joy and we are happy to be one of their resident companies.”

When the curtain rises, Mandley says, “[The] Reverend Parris (guest artist Jesse R. Gephart) prays over his daughter, Betty (Lauren Clos), who lies unconscious on her bed. Through conversations between [the] Reverend Parris and his niece Abigail Williams (Tara Pozo), and between several girls (Brie Tyburski, Kelsey Heathcoat, and Tara Dahlin), the audience learns that these girls, including Abigail and Betty, were conjuring in the forest lead by Tituba (Lucinda Harris), Parris’ slave from Barbados. During this session, Abigail did the unspeakable to kill Elizabeth Proctor (Claire Wagner). In the town, there are rumors of witchcraft.”

She adds, “John Proctor (Adam Patterson) enters the room where Betty lies faint. Abigail is still there. Proctor is a farmer who has had an affair with Abigail a while ago, but now he wants to forget it. [The] Reverend John Hale (Alex Davis) is summoned to look upon Betty and the research the incident. He is an expert in occultic phenomena, and he is eager to show his knowledge. He questions Abigail, who accuses Tituba of being a witch. Tituba, afraid of being hanged, confesses faith in God and accuses Goody Good (guest artist Rebecca Blum) and Goody Osborne of witchcraft. Abigail and Betty, who has woken up, claim to have been bewitched and confess faith in God. They name several other people whom they claim they saw with the Devil.”

Mandley says, “Act II begins eight days after the discussion at Parris’ house. Between Act I and Act II, Deputy Governor Danforth (Sam Mohar) has come to Salem to oversee the court proceedings along with Judge Hathorne (Jess Lawrence). People have been arrested for witchcraft, and there is talk of hanging. Mary Warren enters. She was in court testifying against the townspeople. Later, Giles Corey (Andrew Heil) and Francis Nurse (David Caternicchio) enter to seek advice after both their wives (Jennifer Harper and Sloan Thompson) have been arrested. Next, the Willard (Matt Fields) and Cheever (Nick Fields) arrive with a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest. Elizabeth was accused by Abigail of stabbing Abigail with a needle through a doll. John Proctor protests but Elizabeth is taken away. Proctor demands that Mary go to court and testify against the girls. He vows that he will fight the proceedings, even if it means confessing his own adultery.

“Act III takes place in court, “says Mandley. “Francis Nurse, Giles Corey, and John Proctor present their case against the girls to Deputy Governor Danforth and Judge Hathorne. Proctor presents a petition signed by 91 people testifying to the good character of their wives, and Danforth issues warrants for the questioning of all of them. Corey charges Putnam (Katy Werlin) of inciting his daughter to accuse Corey of witchcraft in order get his land. Corey has a witness, but will not name him for fear of getting the man arrested. Corey is arrested because for contempt of the court.”

She adds, “Proctor presents his case and a deposition by Mary Warren saying that she never saw the devil or any spirits. Abigail says that Mary is lying and she and the girls pretend to be bewitched by Mary. Proctor, frustrated at the gullibility of the court, exclaims to everyone that she is a whore by confessing that he had an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth is brought in to be questioned about whether this is true. Elizabeth tells the court that John Proctor never had an affair with Abigail in order to save his name, however, this destroys Proctor’s testimony. Mary crumbles under the peer pressure and returns to Abigail’s side, accusing Proctor of being a witch. Reverend Hale denounces the proceedings. Proctor is arrested.”

Mandley says, “Act IV begins in prison where Sarah Good and Tituba wait to be hanged. They have gone wacky and believe that Satan will take them both to Barbados. There are rumors of riot in Salem. Hale and Parris are now terrified. They go to visit the innocent people in the jail and beg them to make false confessions in order to save their lives. Hale believes that the blood of the people who are being hanged is on his hands. He asks Elizabeth, who is now pregnant, to tell John to confess to save his life. The meeting takes place and the play comes to its finish.”

In addition to director Carmen-maria Mandley, the shows creative team includes technical director Dean Rayburn, lighting designer Andy Parks, costume designer Jeremy Clos, properties mistress Lauren Clos, physical direction and violence consultant Heather J. Hackford, and stage manager Beth Rayburn. The Crucible also features original music by Vince Conaway.

Mandley says, the show’s set is “Very sparse, chairs and benches,” and its period costumes are the clothes of “Puritans, Puritans, Puritans. Jeremy [Clos] and some student seamstresses have put us back in Salem,” Mandley claims.

She adds, “Major challenges for our company always include making the space into a house, a courtroom, a bedroom, a forest, a jail, with nothing. Just some chairs and benches. Lights, costumes, and some beautiful hammered Dulcimer music by my friend Vince [Conaway]. It’s the lack of obvious production value that forces us to fill the space with bodies and text. We love to do it this way, however.”

Carmen-maria Mandley notes, “This play is performed by 18 young people, ages 15-21 and two professional guest artists. This group is called the Rogue Company, and this is the Young Company division of Bare Theatre. This is the same group that performed Titus Andronicus last summer, and the response was so overwhelming from participants and from the community that we decided to make Rogue Company a permanent part of Bare Theatre. Rogue is a four week intensive program culminating in a week long run. Participants do not pay for this program. Participants are not in a classroom setting, but a mentoring one. Rogue involves daily physical conditioning to help strengthen bodies and voices and intensive rehearsals Mondays through Saturdays. We would love for anyone in the community to come and join us this coming week, and witness their work. We are proud to sustain this program for another summer and are anticipating doing the Henry VI plays with Rogue Company next summer.”

Bare Theatre presents The Crucible Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, a 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept 3, at 2 p.m. at Common Ground Theatre, 4815B Hillsborough Rd., Durham, North Carolina. $15 ($7 students, seniors, and military personnel). 919/771-3281. Bare Theatre: http://www.baretheatre.org/. Common Ground Theatre: http://www.cgtheatre.com/. Internet Broadway Database: http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=2847. Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050997/. Arthur Miller Society: http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/. Study Guide: http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/crucibleteachnotes.html.

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