The Crucible

25 - 28 May 2011
DBS Arts Centre ~ Home of the SRT

SYNOPSIS

"The Devil's loose in Salem"

The Crucible is Arthur Miller’s 1953 dramatisation of the Salem witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692.

Picture Library

A group of teenage girls, led by Abigail Williams, are caught dancing and conjuring in the woods. They subsequently accuse others of witchcraft to protect themselves from punishment. No one is safe in Salem and accusations begin to surface for reasons of greed, sought-after land, un-requited love and obsession. The trials begin and those who do not admit to the accusations and cleanse themselves from the Devil are hung. Abigail, who has previously had an affair with John Proctor, is determined to obtain him by any means possible. John and his wife Elizabeth’s, already strained, relationship is pushed to its limits and John, a highly respected and noble man, is forced to face his greatest fears and deep-ridden guilt.

The Crucible is studied in schools all over the world. Arthur Miller also wrote the screenplay for the 1996 film adaptation starring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis.

This Stage Club production is directed by Anna Vardy, who has most recently been seen on the stage in roles such as Rita in Educating Rita and Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew. She made her directing debut in 2008 with Little Women.