Theatre MSU will present its production of “The Crucible” at 7:30 p.m. on April 20-22 at the McComas Theatre. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.comm.msstate.edu.
“The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller, is a 1963 Tony Award winning play about the Salem witch trials of the late 1600’s. Lying, cheating, drama and tragedy are all intertwined to enhance the plot of this classic piece.
The Theatre MSU production of this play has a total cast and crew of 37 people helping to bring this story to life. This includes 22 actors in the cast, one stage manager, four assistant stage managers and 10 people on the technical crew. They have been working for more than six weeks to put this play together.
Tim Matheny, who will be directing the Theatre MSU production of “The Crucible,” said the best part of working on this play was working with such talented students and faculty.
“They have really poured themselves into this process and produced some quality work of which they, and the university, can be proud,” Matheny said. “It is always a pleasure to work this creative process alongside of our MSU students.”
Matheny said it is exciting to see the amount of hard work, intelligence and fearlessness the students show and put into this production.
“This play has some strong emotional moments,” Matheny said. “These emotions are not always easy for an actor to explore. These students, however, have done a brave and outstanding job at finding these emotions within themselves and exploring them in the context of this script.”
Callie Hester, a member of “The Crucible” cast, said her favorite part of working on this play was taking part in a specific scene.
“There is a scene in act two that is physically and mentally exhausting but it probably my favorite.” Hester said. “It has been brilliant, as always, and there has never been a dull moment.”
“This show has some very important themes,” Hester said. “It is a show filled with rumors, hysterics, vengeance, and love.”
“The Crucible” is an American classic that reflects the fear of McCarthyism. Matheny said, as director, he seeks out works like “The Crucible” that have something to say. He said, in many ways this play has ideas that are relevant to today.
“Over the last decade, we have witnessed an ever widening of political, moral, and social thought in America,” Matheny said. “One of the frightening aspects of this polarization is the frenzy of often baseless accusation that traps individuals on either side.”
“Lives have been ruined by such witch hunts. I thought this play may reflect the past dangers of such actions and maybe open a dialogue on what we are doing to each other.” Matheny said.
This is the final production of Theatre MSU’s 2016-2017 season. “The Crucible” displays raw emotion, dark themes and has a very powerful message. It is a famous work of literature intended to cause the audience to think and understand more of what it was like during the Salem witch trials, which is such an iconic time in history.
