Arthur Miller wrote the classic play, “The Crucible,” in 1953 as a response to what is arguably the most insidious witch hunt in American history: the fervent persecution of suspected Communist sympathizers by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Miller used a highly fictionalized recounting of the Salem witch trials of the 17th century as an allegory.
The director of the production being staged at Virginia Commonwealth University wants to reinforce the fact that this kind of thing keeps repeating itself. “This idea of fear being so rampant that we place that fear on other people, it’s happened time and time again throughout history,” says Emily Mattison, who is head of undergraduate performance at VCU.
For that reason, Mattison has set her production in contemporary times. “I wanted it to sit in a more modern context so that audiences feel like they can relate to it more,” she says.
“When you see a bunch of characters in Puritan garb, it feels quite distant from you,” Mattison continues. “But if we see individuals in clothing we would wear today, it’s like, ‘Oh, they look like me; I could see myself in a similar situation.’”
The original Broadway production of “The Crucible” won four Tony Awards and the play has been a regularly staged production in academic circles ever since. Its ongoing relevance led to 1996 film and two Broadway revivals, including a 2016 version that starred Ben Whishaw and Saoirse Ronan, which Mattison saw in New York .
“They updated the time period for that revival,” Mattison says [the 2016 revival had no stated time period but outfitted younger characters in contemporary school uniforms]. “So the idea that you could modernize the story definitely stuck with me.”
The young actors in Mattison’s cast have found the scope of the play impressive.
“It’s a beast of a show,” says senior Julia Von Fahnestock. “The text itself is written in a language we’re not used to speaking in. Then, on top of that, there’s the cultural significance of the text and then, just the length in general. It’s huge.”
“I’ve been describing it as a behemoth,” says junior Jacob Cole. Cole and Von Fahnestock play John and Elizabeth Proctor, the couple at the center of the play. A former maid for the Proctors, Abigail, starts making sweeping allegations of witchcraft that implicate dozens of community members, including Elizabeth. John fights the burgeoning frenzy but his support of Elizabeth is complicated because he had an affair with Abigail.
Cole and Von Fahnestock found establishing a friendship an important part of the rehearsal process. “There has to be such a balance in this relationship between love and tension,” says Cole. “I feel like if we didn’t make time to hang out, there would have just been the tension.”
In the years since its debut, “The Crucible” has been subjected to more nuanced criticism related to its portrayal of women and its depiction of John Proctor’s sacrifices in the show. Many of these criticisms are encapsulated in the play, “John Proctor is the Villain,” that premiered on Broadway earlier this year.
Mattison brought that updated perspective into her production. “I think a lot of people see John Proctor as this fully redeemed individual and they kind of glance over the fact that he has actually done something wrong,” she says.
“So in this production, I really wanted to highlight the flaws of John Proctor. Even though he makes a good choice in the end, we can’t just overlook the choices that led him there.”
“We’re taking what has been written and we’re flipping the narrative,” says Von Fahnestock. “I think when you come to the show and see the mass hysteria and the power dynamics, you’ll definitely feel how the words can be translated into any period of time.”
“The Crucible” will run on the Singleton Center main stage, 922 Park Ave., Oct. 9-12. Tickets and information are available at https://arts.vcu.edu/theatre/mainstage-season/.
