Difference between revisions of "The Crucible (2007)"

Revision as of 15:55, 4 May 2007

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Directed by Anton Krause Performances: Tue 20th – Sat 24th Feb 2007, Prompt Corner at 7.30pm

Written in 1953, Arthur Miller's The Crucible is one of the most important and powerfully written plays of the 20th century. On the surface it is a partially fictionalised retelling of the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s, but at the same time is a powerful allegory of McCarthyism in 1950s America, where suspected Communsits were hounded and persecuted. The play serves as a warning against the effects of rampant suspicion and paranoia in all societies and has as much to say today as it ever did.

The plot is taken from the true-life events in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 when a group of young girls accused their fellow villagers of practicing witchcraft, leading to the executions of 19 men and women (and two dogs). Miller, having read through all of the court transcripts and looking for the motives behind the accusations, spun them into a compelling tale of repression, religious intolerance and sexual jealousy.

Cast

John Proctor - Matthew Lyne

Abigail Williams - Maya Gabrielle Talbot

Elizabeth Proctor - Helen Chadney

Rev Parris - Simon Holland

Rev Hale - David Blatcher

Thomas Putnam - Richard Nield

Anne Putnam - Samantha Golton

Dep Gov Danforth - Michael Wilson

Judge Hathorne - Andrew Davis

Tituba - Angela Barnes

Mary Warren - Rebecca Brough

Mercy Lewis - Ella Rigby Lewenstein

Betty Parris - Gaby Curry

Susannah Walcott - Jessamy Lowe

Marshall Herrick - Nick Mansley

Ezekiel Cheever - Matthew Griffiths

Francis Nurse - Peter Medd

Rebecca Nurse - Linda East

Giles Corey - John Lyne

Sarah Good - Pam Lyne