Written by Arthur Miller in the early 1950’s, The Crucible is the tale of a scorned woman with an unquenchable desire for vengeance. Focused on the Salem Witch Trials and the explanation of McCarthyism ideology, it is the epitome of intense drama.
The Crucible cast was selected by Theatre Department Head Phyllis Jaffe, and will be coming out later this afternoon. The auditioning process was exceedingly different this year, as students pre-auditioned with thirty seconds of drama and thirty seconds of comedy before they knew what the show was going to be.
From these pre-auditions, Jaffe was able to decide which play she wanted the Theater Department to take on. “(The students) were overwhelmingly better at drama… I had four shows in mind, but after seeing them perform, I realized that The Crucible was the best choice,” said Jaffe.
Following Jaffe’s selection of the play came the true auditions. Students read certain excerpts of the script individually. After auditions, the call-back list was posted, and those who were called-back, performed again Friday afternoon in groups.
“I actually like call-backs more because you get to do scenes with other characters, so you’re able to develop your character more and be in the moment,” said sophomore Jamie Joyen Waldorf.
For the first week of rehearsal, Jaffe is planning on having the actors read through the script and discuss schedules for the time period. Preparations have begun for the Saxon Stage’s latest Cappie show.