Miller’s poignant interpretation of the 1962 Salem Witch Trials holds a strong resonance to contemporary culture in much the same way as it did to the era in which it was written over 50 years ago.
The Crucible was written by Miller as a direct response to his experience of the McCarthy-ist Communist paranoia in post-war America, as people were being persecuted for what was considered to be anti-American sentiments.
At the time, Miller was reading The Devil in Massachusetts, and saw the clear parallels between the situation then and the situation in Salem 260 years earlier.
The Crucible has remained increasingly popular, and more importantly, deeply relevant, thanks to its handling of themes such as the power of the accuser, guilt by association, and the impossibility of proving innocence.
Director Janie Smith has been familiar with the play since drama school, and has longed to direct it when she found the right actors. After training at drama school, Smith went on to teach in an all-girls school.
Smith says that as director and actor, she believes the most important thing is to serve the writer and be faithful to the text.
“We are being painstaking in our detail to ensure the focus remains squarely on the power of the language and the text,” she explains.
“I feel passionately about the quality of this play and the writer and I feel a great responsibility to do it justice.
“Miller is a great writer who has given us, in The Crucible, the greatest play of the 20th century. I have tried to pare everything away and reveal the power of MIller’s most amazing characters.
“The Crucible’s not a play about good and evil. It’s a play about society’s need to create its own demons. It has enduring resonances of how we all create our own demons in society.”
IN THE KNOW
where: Lincoln Drill Hall
when: November 19 till November 21
tickets: Tickets are available at £6 and £8
booking: Call (01522) 873894, or visit www.lincolndrillhall.com.
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