A cast of twenty from MHS’ School of the Visual and Performing Arts (SVPA) will bring to life Arthur Miller’s classic, The Crucible this week. In the play, Miller dramatizes the Salem witch trials of 1692 and 1693.
The original play premiered in 1953, during the era of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists in the 1950’s. The work is central in the canon of American drama, and esteemed for its allegorical relationship to the House Committee On Un-American Activities.
For director, Stephen Vallillo, this play is a departure from the comedy he has selected in his last two seasons. Students are challenged to a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of conflict and complexity as they bring the young women accused of witchcraft and the men who are their accusers to life.
On his choice, Vallillo said, “It had a relatively many roles for women, it is a modern play and it is a drama. I like to vary the style and genre that we present to offer our students a range of experiences.”
“In addition, it fits the curriculum of the high school .. and our students learn from performing in challenging and excellent plays.”
Gavi Keyles, a senior who plays Elizabeth Proctor, said, “The challenge in this role is to reveal the character as stoic and at the same time vulnerable.” It is a far departure from her comedic and musical role as Gertrude McFuzz in last year’s Seussical.
Alex Glossman, who plays John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband, said, “It’s nice to push emotionally on stage. This is much more challenging than anything I’ve done at Montclair High School, in theatre, so far.”
Thanks to Cary Africk for the rehearsal photo, which depicts, from left to right: Jason Cerf (Ezekial Cheever), Albert Antomattei (John Willard), Emerson Gordon (Dept Governor Danforth), Ben Rosenfield (Rev. Hale), Adam Greenhaus (Rev. Parris), Molly Waggett (Mary Warren), Leo Poggie (Judge Hathorne).
The Crucible
Who: Tweens, teens and adults.
What: MHS School of Visual and Performing Art’s performance of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
Where: Montclair High School’s Little Theatre, 141 Park Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Thursday, February 4, Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6 at 8 pm.
Cost: $8. Tickets are sold one hour prior to performance times each night.
remember kids, to be artists you have to be subversive. A politically charged leftist piece is no fun in liberal Montclair. It would be great in Crawford Texas, but here it would be more fun to reinterpret the piece. Perhaps the suspected witches can be recast as global warming “deniers” while the powers that be are the warming alarmist elites?
What self-respecting highschooler would prefer sonorous nods of political orthodoxy from their parents when they could have teeth grinding glares of political heresy?
One of my favorite plays and I LOVE Daniel Day Lewis as John Proctor in the film.
Or Roc, the suspected witches could be those evil “teabagger,” “Obama birthers,” or “9/11 truthers.”
I was confused, though with Vallillo quote: “It had a relatively many roles for women, it is a modern play and it is a drama.”
Was that a typo? Or does he talk like that?
Considering how embarrassing the Principal’s mastery of the English language was, I hope it’s a typo….
Casting the witches as paranoid/delusion people who don’t believe in scientific evidence, don’t believe they should pay taxes and think anyone with a funny name can’t be born in the US would definitely transform this drama into a comedy!
I feel this story would be better served on the regular Baristanet.