written by Arthur Miller
directed by James Camp
performed December 7-9 and 13-15, 2001
In 1692, two young girls in Salem, MA, take ill with peculiar
symptoms: inability to eat, a deep trance-like slumber, and
occasional fits of madness. When it is discovered that the Minister's
niece Abigail, his slave Tituba, and many other local girls were
dancing in the forest and performing voodoo rites, the suspicion of
witchcraft is raised. Abigail soon realizes that by naming local
outcasts and drunkards as witches, she can escape punishment for her
actions. But when the girls are elevated to prophetic status by the
Puritan government, they begin to name prominent townspeople who are
rivals over religion, land, or love. Before long anyone who speaks
against the Court is accused of witchcraft, and scores of local men
and women are imprisoned. Those who refuse to confess are hanged.
In all, the fiery crucible of the Salem Witch Trials consumed 24
lives. Arthur Miller's great play, published during the McCarthy era,
tells the story of one particular man, John Proctor, who has the bad
fortune of attracting Abigail's lust and the ire of many a court
official. Speaking up against the madness earns him a place in jail,
and ultimately on the gallows. This is a story of how the hard-held
beliefs of honest men can be twisted by a few spiteful
individuals...and how the unthinkable can happen one well-meant step
at a time.
