Embedded Files
Directors Statement
Background:
I was drawn to “The Crucible” because of its purpose. Arthur Miller wanted to highlight the mass hysteria propagated by certain factions of the U.S. government during the Red Scare. While the outward appearance of this movement was to protect Americans from the godless communists and to eliminate radical left activity in America, the sinister truth of the matter is that the politicians abused their power and created a fracture in America’s political system. Friends and colleagues turned on one another, as they were afraid of being accused if they were not accusing someone else first. Miller masterfully criticized this in “The Crucible,” a very thinly veiled allegory, which compares the United States government with the governing body during the Salem Witch Trials–taking the word of scared or vindictive witnesses over reasonable citizens.
Perhaps the genius of Miller is that this comparison is timeless. It is human nature to have a witch hunt of some sort. Humans tend to gang up on whoever is different from the perceived norm. In Salem, it was witches. In America in the 1950s, it was communists. Since then, it has been members of different races or religions, different sexualities and sexual identities, and people who do not fit the stereotype of gender norms. Unfortunately, in our current political climate, we are replaying a myriad of witch hunts that we thought have long been settled. As women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and various minorities are having to question the security of their rights in the current political landscape, this story is as important to tell as it ever has been.
Process
Pre-Production
I have been employed as a technical assistant at Arkansas Tech University for about a year. (I graduated from their theatre program in fall of 2021.) While I loved my position as a technical assistant, I had been itching to direct a production of my own, so in late spring of 2022, I submitted a proposal to the department head to allow me to direct a production of “The Crucible.” I have been intrigued by “The Crucible” since studying it in high school and had often staged it in my mind. Therefore, much of the pre-production process was quite intuitive to me. I set about researching the setting of the play, as well as the era when it was written, and I began giving thought to the style, collecting images that portrayed my desired aesthetic of the production.
Auditions-
As soon as we began advertising auditions, I started getting texts and emails from students and community members who were interested. While I was excited that the community was invested in the project, I limited auditions to just students and was very pleased with the turnout. After three nights of auditions and callbacks, I cast all the roles in the play with immensely talented actors. I credit much of the success of this production to my strong casting choices.
Company Meeting
Once my cast, designers, technicians, and crew were set, I conducted a company-wide meeting where I presented the historical context and provided visual aesthetic references in order to get everyone on the same page. With such a large cast and crew, it was especially important to have this unified approach.
Rehearsals
We began the rehearsal process with a read-through, allowing each actor to hear the play aloud and begin exploring their character’s relationship with the play as a whole. We followed with unit rehearsals, where aside from focusing on the script, we also began intensive character work. From the beginning, I gave prompts to the actors and asking how they would show me their emotions through their character. I believe starting this early with character work made our blocking choices come easier because they already knew what their character would do in that time/situation.
The thought of blocking such a large show somewhat intimidated me. I started out with soft blocking, focusing on those moments where specific things had to happen. We then went through the entire scene while speaking and stepping in and out of a circle as we entered and exited. This got the actors to understand where they needed to be. This also helped with the memorization of cue lines. From there, I let go of the leads and let them act what they thought their character would do. Afterward, I would ask questions like “why did your character do that?” If they didn't have an answer, I would tell them to think of one before the next run or I would block that space myself. This approach worked because the actors weren't mindlessly following orders-- but doing what felt right, what fit in the moment. By allowing room for them to follow their intuition and instincts, we achieved more authentic performances.
Production Meetings-
We knew this show was very technically involved, so throughout the rehearsal period, we were also conducting weekly production meetings, which were mandatory for our designers and stage managers. These meetings provided an efficient means of sharing ideas and reporting progress. Within two weeks, we had our full design for lighting, set, and costumes turned in. Within a week after that, the set was erected. We continued meeting weekly as design plans steadily became realities and the finishing touches were completed.
Tech week
By the time tech week rolled around, we were relieved that all of our technical and design elements were in place (even 27 mostly hand-made costumes). Midway through the week, I began getting reports of cast and crew members needing to quarantine, so I required company-wide COVID testing. We had nine members test positive. I faced a tough decision… try to push through the last couple of rehearsals that week with limited cast and crew or cancel the last two rehearsals of the week, even though we had less than a week before opening. I feared the virus would continue spreading if we had rehearsals, and that would push the quarantine period into our performances, so I canceled rehearsals and asked everyone to stay home over the weekend in hopes that everyone would return healthy on Monday. Luckily, that’s exactly what happened, and we made it through all five performances without a single illness.
Production week-
We had five performances starting on Thursday of production week: two matinees for local high school students, and three public evening performances. Our shortened tech week meant that we still had a lot of technical kinks to work out within three days. We had to make adjustments to costumes; we had to work on missed sound and lighting cues; and we needed to smooth out scene-changing transitions. Luckily, the cast and crew came back refreshed and ready to work, and we successfully tackled our problem areas by the first performance.
Performances
Thursday and Friday mornings we performed in front of local high schools. These shows were particularly meaningful to me since I had fallen in love with the play when I was in high school. The students had all studied the play before watching our performance, which made them particularly enlightened and delightful audience members. They commented on how much they enjoyed watching the play brought to life and understood it much better after having seen it live.
We had public evening performances Thursday through Saturday nights. There were a few issues that came up during the show days. For instance, one night, Abigail’s shirt ripped open. The team quickly realized the problem and handed the actor a safety pin, which solved the problem until the next scene change. But then, when Abigail went to jump on the bed, she missed the mark a bit and almost fell. Luckily, we had a phenomenal actor playing Abigail and they worked with the chaos smoothly and effortlessly and bounced back.
Final Reflections
I can’t imagine being any prouder of this show and the cast and crew whose hard work made it successful. All three public showings sold out within 20 minutes of the doors opening, and the audience was highly engaged. The production was not without its challenges–the language was difficult for many of our actors; our budget was tight for the size of the production; and there were a lot of technical elements that had to come together. But even when things didn’t go as planned (such as COVID hitting or our Abigail ripping her costume), the cast and crew marched forward in a determined and professional manner. I will always count this production as a success on all levels.
Program
KCACTF Mission Questions
How well does the production reflect KCACTF mission: To encourage, recognize, and celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs.
Upon first glance, “The Crucible” seems like a safe choice—a play written by a white, heterosexual male at a time when stories were predominantly told through a white, heterosexual male lens. However, upon further scrutiny, one realizes that the themes of “The Crucible” extend beyond that of a societal dominant perspective. In fact, many aspects of the play are still relevant and resonate especially well with minorities and other underrepresented groups.
Coming from a small, rural theatre department in a conservative area of the Bible Belt, many of our cast and crew (over half of which identify as LGBTQ+) truly related to the idea of otherness as it’s presented in the play. Many have admitted to feeling like outcasts in their families or social groups because they are different than what has been presented as “normal” or “good.” Many were able to empathize with the characters in the play who had to choose between being true to themselves or continuing to lie for the sake of appeasing the expectations of those around them. This was a cathartic experience for several of our LGBTQ+ cast and crew and certainly for the audience, as well.
Upon selecting this play, we were concerned with the lack of ethnic diversity. The play calls for an exclusively white cast apart from one black character—a slave woman, Tituba. We were not willing to deny our minority students acting opportunities, nor were we willing to deny our production the talent of our diverse students, so we simply ignored the ethnic requirements of each character and cast the best actor for each role. Because of this, a myriad of ethnic groups was represented in our production. In fact, our Abigail Williams was played by a non-binary Latine, hardly a traditional depiction of the Puritan vixen. I am convinced that our inclusive approach is part of what made this production successful. By removing barriers, we were able to cast the strongest performers for each role.
Finally, I believe the story itself is as important to tell today as it ever was. “The Crucible” exemplifies how history can and does repeat itself. Although the show was written in 1953 in reference to McCarthyism, and it is based around the Salem Witch Trials of 1693, it is still relevant as it forces modern audiences to come to terms with how easily a shift in power in the wrong direction can lead to a dangerous and detrimental downfall. With the rights of women, the LGBTQ+ community, and minorities at risk at the national, state, and local levels, the messaging of this play is crucial in the current political environment.
Celebrate- How well does the production reflect KCACTF mission: To provide opportunities for participants to develop their theater skills and insight; and achieve professionalism.
Our theatre program is small—only a dozen student majors. Because of this, we often tend to choose smaller, simpler shows. Selecting “The Crucible,” a production that required over 40 cast and crew members, was a risky choice. There was no guarantee we would have the numbers to support such a production. However, I believed in the project and believed that our students would be inspired by the story and the theatrical elements of it. I was right, as we ended up having ample cast and crew (from all majors and disciplines) to comfortably produce the show.
As a result of the need for a bigger cast and crew, we were able to provide a variety of opportunities for students to develop their theatrical skills. For instance, we had a student composer create original music; our actors got to experiment with choreography at a deeper level than they usually do; our set designer and lighting designer were able to work together to create a beautiful spectacle of shapes, colors, and patterns that set the perfect tone for each scene. The exciting story of “The Crucible,” along with its deeper meanings and emotional subtext gave each department rich fodder to create wonderful art at multiple levels.
Eleven of our students were freshmen, and because of this, our production provided many opportunities for new students to inquire how the college theatre operates. Students were able to experience being a part of a larger cast with college level theatrical elements while still being able to have the comfort of a small theatre. (Most of our students come from smaller schools, so they are comfortable in small performance spaces).
Not only did we have a large number of freshmen, but fourteen members of the cast and crew were first generation students. Being from an economically depressed part of the country, our students had multiple financial responsibilities that could have interfered with the rehearsal process. However, the cast and crew rose to the expected level of dedication and professionalism and prioritized rehearsal time. As a result, everyone in the production worked toward the same goal—to create an excellent production—while maintaining a mutual respect for time.
How well does the production reflect KCACTF mission: To improve the quality of college and university theater in America.
“The Crucible” is a well-known show, and therefore it carries weighty expectations for a high production value. It is very likely several members of the audience have seen another production (live or film) and will be comparing our production to others. Because of this, we had to rise to the occasion and deliver an excellent product. I felt that every aspect of the production had to perform at its absolute best. I set about working with each department (separately and gathered) to work out the nuances of each aspect. The cast put in countless hours of character work; the visual design crew discussed metaphors and tone and sought out innovative ways to implement these in their designs; the stage management team worked out a flawless approach to set changes. Everyone contributed ideas and worked hard for a unified production. This approach improved the overall integrity and quality of our show.
As previously discussed, our theatre program is small. Still, the promise of a popular show seemed to excite and energize students. We had fifty-three students audition, which is double our normal turnout. In addition to the large cast, we also had a healthy number of volunteers working on the technical crew. This represented the largest cast and crew in our recent history. Not only were we great in number, but we were mighty in work ethic, innovation, and skill. We performed a professional-level production in a small black box theatre with a largely novice crew. While we had many obstacles along the path, the dedication of our cast and crew prevailed, and our show was an undisputed success—we sold out every show.
This project worked as a wonderful opportunity to bring new students into the fold of our theatre. We are now well poised for these students to expect excellence from themselves and the theatre in future productions. I believe the positivity of this one show will have a ripple effect on future productions. Our students will expect a higher level of quality and professionalism from themselves, their peers, and the theatre program itself.
How well does the production reflect KCACTF mission: To encourage colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new plays, especially those written by students; the classics, revitalized or newly conceived; and experimental works.
While our production largely remained true to Arthur’s original vision, the choice to cast the production with ethnically diverse actors added a contemporary twist. By having the cast more closely resemble modern society, we reinforced the concept that this story—this moral—is still relevant today.
Video Clip
Act II– Scene II
The vestry of the Salem Meeting house, two weeks later.
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Contact Info
Faith Spencer Phone Number: (479) 647-6000 Email:Fspencer2@atu.edu
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