SSCC theatre season … something different from the comedies and sentimental drama that we have presented in the past;
however, I never had a play beckon to me like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. It was almost as haunting as the play. I knew I
had to direct this work.
The Crucible opened January 22, 1953, at the Martin Beck. The reception was cold, dismal. Some critics blamed the acting
or directing. Others blamed the circumstances of the playwright and the political atmosphere, for this was the time of the
“Red Scare.” Did Miller write the play in response to Senator McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee’s
crusade against those believed to be communist supporters, sympathizers? You can read the answer yourself in “Why I
Wrote The Crucible: An Artist’s Answer to Politics” by Arthur Miller, or formulate an opinion from this excerpt:
But as the dramatic form became visible, one problem remained unyielding: so many practices of the Salem trials were
similar to those employed by the congressional committees that I could easily be accused of skewing history for a mere
partisan purpose. Inevitably, it was no sooner known that my new play was about Salem than I had to confront the charge
that such an analogy was specious - that there never were any witches but there certainly are communists. In the 17th
century, however, the existence of witches was never questioned by the loftiest of minds in Europe and America, and even
lawyers of the highest eminence believed that witches had to be persecuted mercilessly.
How do I feel about the play? I’ve done the research. I know how the script reflects events in history, how the “Salem
interrogations turn out to be eerily exact models of those yet to come,” how paranoia is catchy and chaotic … but to me, this
play has become a heart-wrenching love story. I see a marriage that falters for a moment, as some do, but strengthens with
the power of love and forgiveness. Even if one can’t imagine what it would be like to be accused a witch, one can certainly
weep for the Proctor's and want them to be whole again. I do every night in rehearsal.
I want to thank this wonderful cast and crew for staying right on the edge. It is difficult to create the terror of this play
without becoming melodramatic. You did well. Also, a special thanks to Jon Davidson for composing the music that enhances
the emotions of the play. It fits.
Enjoy the madness,
Rainee Angles
however, I never had a play beckon to me like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. It was almost as haunting as the play. I knew I
had to direct this work.
The Crucible opened January 22, 1953, at the Martin Beck. The reception was cold, dismal. Some critics blamed the acting
or directing. Others blamed the circumstances of the playwright and the political atmosphere, for this was the time of the
“Red Scare.” Did Miller write the play in response to Senator McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee’s
crusade against those believed to be communist supporters, sympathizers? You can read the answer yourself in “Why I
Wrote The Crucible: An Artist’s Answer to Politics” by Arthur Miller, or formulate an opinion from this excerpt:
But as the dramatic form became visible, one problem remained unyielding: so many practices of the Salem trials were
similar to those employed by the congressional committees that I could easily be accused of skewing history for a mere
partisan purpose. Inevitably, it was no sooner known that my new play was about Salem than I had to confront the charge
that such an analogy was specious - that there never were any witches but there certainly are communists. In the 17th
century, however, the existence of witches was never questioned by the loftiest of minds in Europe and America, and even
lawyers of the highest eminence believed that witches had to be persecuted mercilessly.
How do I feel about the play? I’ve done the research. I know how the script reflects events in history, how the “Salem
interrogations turn out to be eerily exact models of those yet to come,” how paranoia is catchy and chaotic … but to me, this
play has become a heart-wrenching love story. I see a marriage that falters for a moment, as some do, but strengthens with
the power of love and forgiveness. Even if one can’t imagine what it would be like to be accused a witch, one can certainly
weep for the Proctor's and want them to be whole again. I do every night in rehearsal.
I want to thank this wonderful cast and crew for staying right on the edge. It is difficult to create the terror of this play
without becoming melodramatic. You did well. Also, a special thanks to Jon Davidson for composing the music that enhances
the emotions of the play. It fits.
Enjoy the madness,
Rainee Angles
