In early March, FHHS’s Drama Academy put on an electrifying show based on Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, “The Crucible.” The mixed junior-senior show was spectacular, with riveting acting and passionate actors and actresses. Many truly did not expect to be as blown away by the production as they were. The cast had everyone’s attention the whole time.
“I think it was a phenomenal production. I was extremely proud of my former castmates and everyone involved. Ms. Morrison did a fantastic job on the creative process of the direction. It was emotional and was a show that had you on the edge of your seat,” shared Marina Kundan, an audience member and alumna of FHHS.
“The Crucible” details a fictional story based on the very real Salem Witch Trials of 1692, a period in history in which many women, girls and men were burned at the stake as accused witches. The production explores the dangers of mass hysteria when fueled by religious faith. It’s a classic play that gives us insight into a dark time in history.
As Ms. Morrison puts it: “’The Crucible’ is saying many things. A big one is how your actions affect others, because if John Proctor never slept with Abigail, would the rest of the play even happen?”
The themes of where we place the blame, our honor and pride, and whether we should always believe the accuser and villainize the accused are all tackled in this extraordinary play.
Behind the Scenes with the Cast
The main character, John Proctor, is a man haunted by his bad decisions in life. After seeing the play, the audience is inclined to blame him for everything that happened, and yet they still feel for him as we watch him struggle to save his wife from damnation.
Andrew Simmons played John Proctor in the production. He agreed with this sentiment and explained that the elaborate character was difficult to portray. “I feel like I really had to justify some of the things he did and feel bad for him in a sense, and not just see him as ‘oh no, he’s a terrible person,’ because he was a guy that just made mistakes,” said Simmons.
Elizabeth Proctor is a woman faced with the misfortune of having a cheating husband and accusations of witchcraft thrown at her by her husband’s mistress.
Kayla Pizzitola shared her process of obtaining the role. “I had two auditions with Ms. Morrison and I was very nervous, because ever since I knew that we were doing ‘The Crucible,’ my dream role has been Elizabeth Proctor.”
Abigail Williams, the teenage mistress, is corrupted by her desire for a married man. She comes off as the misguided villain of the play, acting on the anger and hatred she feels towards John Proctor. Madesen Clarke, who played Abigail Williams, said, “I can relate somewhat to my character—she is my age, and I can understand the things she may be going through—and I feel that through certain lines and scenes. Her certain emotions of rejection and discomfort, I think I can relate to.”
Amauris Blanco and Eli Markey, who played Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale, respectively, were almost opposites when it came to the play. Eli was someone who suggested doing this play and already knew that he wanted to play Rev. Hale. He revealed, “I have a Spotify playlist and it’s titled ‘Reverend Hale.’ It’s got ‘Jigsaw’ by Radiohead, it’s got ‘Take Me to Church’ by Hozier. It’s got a lot of Mitski on it because Reverend Hale is a sad guy.” He added, “I do a lot of listening to that, going over my lines, so I’m like, ‘I am Reverend Hale.’”
On the other hand, Amauris didn’t know the book at all and relied on the small blurb they were given of their characters.
Despite these differences, both actors were able to tap into their characters through music and method acting. “I try to get really serious because my character’s about getting straight to business, or at least I feel that way. He’s very heavily manipulated, and so I tried to listen a lot. I listen to what the people are saying,” Blanco explained.
“Yeah, it’s really funny. I’d be walking around, pacing, doing my lines, doing this and that, and he’s sitting there just doing nothing. He’s sitting there brooding,” Markey commented.
Noel Medina, who played Giles Corey, explained, “I, basically, came in pre-cast. Literally, when I went to audition, I auditioned for Hale and for Proctor. [Ms. Morrison] was like ‘I already have a character in mind for you,’ and it was Giles Corey. Which I accept, [he’s a] sassy old man. I like him.”
Deputy Governor Danforth, played by Ava Shamid, joked, “I mean, I auditioned for someone else. But then I saw I got Judge Danforth, and I was up by it, and then I saw the amount of lines and I was like, you know what? I’ll take it!” Although the audience may have hated Governor Danforth, that goes to show that Ava did a wonderful job playing her role.
“Well, my character is a little girl, so I really had to tap into that younger energy and act very whiny. I would act very upset. It’s easy for me to get into that character because I’m kind of used to playing characters where they’re whiny and upsetting,” commented Chloe Polanco, who played Betty Parris.
Furthermore, the cast spoke a little about the behind the scenes of the show leading up to the big night. Rehearsals were two hours nearly every day after school. They all spoke of the long script and how it was difficult to memorize so many lines, seeing as this was the first two-hour show their teacher, Ms. Morrison, has put on in ten years.
Following cues, crying on stage, playing husband and wife, and even line-delivery are all aspects of the production that the cast struggled with throughout their rehearsals. Nevertheless, they were able to stay in the right mindset and play their role with such emotion that kept the audience invested the whole show.
The Showrunner: Ms. Morrison
Ms. Morrison has been a teacher for 24 years, with 11 years under her belt at FHHS. She directed “The Crucible” and is currently teaching drama and cinema elective classes for 9, 10, and 11 grade, along with a public speaking class for our school’s College Now program. She’s been directing plays since her college years and has directed over 50 productions, 10 of those being at FHHS.
We had the honor to have an in-depth interview with Ms. Morrison and have a look into her creative process while preparing for and rehearsing the show.
“I have not done a two-hour show in over ten years. I have not done a show with this much text in over 10 years. Something about this group of people— I looked at them and I saw my John Proctor, I saw my Reverend Hale, I saw my Giles, I saw my Elizabeth Proctor.”
Last year, when the seniors who participated in the show were juniors, Ms. Morrison put on the famous One-Act Play Festival. Upon gazing at her students, she knew “The Crucible” was the way to go for this year’s production choice.
When getting the cast into character, Ms. Morrison explained, “So I have a vision, but they have to help my vision come to life.” She elaborated, “…during the beginning rehearsals, I allow the actors to infuse their instincts. So, often I don’t give what’s called ‘blocking movement.’ I sort of try to see when the actor wants to move. Their body will indicate… so I gave them a lot of freedom in the beginning.”
“The play, “The Crucible,” is still alive and kicking on Broadway, sort of. The students and I are watching the show ‘John Proctor is the Villain!’”
“John Proctor is the Villain!” is a play by Kimberly Belflower that reinterprets “The Crucible” through the lens of modern-day feminism, exploring themes of power, betrayal, and the #MeToo movement within a high school setting, where students grapple with the complexities of the Salem witch trials and their personal experiences.
Finally…
The cast was wonderful and worked hard to put together a truly remarkable show. Our drama seniors this year expressed emotion as they spoke of the show. “The fact that this will be the last play I do with the Drama Academy made me very emotional because we’ve been through a lot. We’ve been together for four years,” said Polanco.
The camaraderie was evident as the cast gifted Ms. Morrison a framed autographed image of “The Crucible” after the final performance.
