Though Halloween has officially come to an end, the spirit of the holiday is still alive and well with the upcoming show “The Crucible” at the Department of Drama of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.  

Based on the Salem witch trials of 1692, the story highlights mass hysteria and betrayal, and will premiere at the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Theater Complex with its opening night on Saturday at 8 p.m.  

Author Arthur Miller begins the fictionalized tale with the town’s minister Reverend Parris discovering a group of girls with his slave Tituba dancing naked in the woods late at night. Among these girls are his daughter Betty and his niece Abigail Williams. Fearing harsh consequences from the religious town, the girls accuse several townspeople of engaging in witchcraft. Subsequently, these “witches” are publicly executed in order to preserve Salem’s Christianity.  

The play is directed by Gerardine Clark, a professor at the department of drama with 45 years of theater experience. Clark said obstacles that come with performing a period piece is creating a stage that appears historically accurate, along with the actors successfully playing characters the audience can empathize with.  

“The purpose of all the people engaged in the production is to make the audience feel smart, to feel that viscerally they get it,” said Clark.  

Caitlin Kobland, who plays Abigail, said she wanted to be involved with this production because of the brilliance of Miller’s literary techniques. 

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“There is not a line in this show that is not meant to be there,” said Kobland. “Mr. Miller is incredibly smart, everything you need to know about suspicion, Puritan Massachusetts and each character is written in the text.” 

In developing her portrayal of Abigail, who is the story’s antagonist and acts as the ringleader of the group, Kobland meticulously read the original play, and used the 1996 film adaptation for visual inspiration.   

As the story progresses, Abigail becomes increasingly disliked by the audience. Kobland explained that despite her cruel decision of accusing members of her community of witchcraft, she is essentially a young girl driven by fear. 

“The Crucible” is one of those plays that remains largely relevant throughout time,” said Ian Soares who plays Giles Corey, the elderly man accused of witchcraft. “I think it’s particularly important now as it parallels a lot of the themes we see in today’s society.” 

Playing a man who is nearly 60 years older than himself, Soares said that in order to prepare for his role, he studied the physicality and behavior of people at that age. Despite the apparent age difference between the two, Soares mentioned that there are commonalities between the pair.  

“We share a similar curiosity in life, which can lead to trouble if one is not careful,” said Soares. “We’re both very driven people and are always looking for something new to explore.” 

Published on November 5, 2019 at 10:04 pm