New Hampshire Theatre Project to Present THE CRUCIBLE

New Hampshire Theatre Project explores New England's own horror story through Arthur Miller's classic allegory The Crucible. Miller wrote The Crucible to protest against McCarthyism and the persecution of all things "un-American, comparing two periods in American history when a mass hysteria of paranoia blamed all of society's ills on one generalized "evil" - witches in he 1690's and Communists in the 1950's. But we have seen this happen over and over throughout history; the Japanese internments during WWII are a perfect example. This is what makes Miller's play relevant to every succeeding generation, including our own.

Director Genevieve Aichele has chosen to stage The Crucible in the round, transforming the West End Studio Theatre into a Puritan meeting house. Prior to the Salem events, "witch trials" took place in private before a small group of judges. Salem was the first time those poor souls accused of witchcraft found themselves face to face with their accusers, and also the first time community members directly witnessed the trials. "What was it like to have a young girl go into convulsions and scream at the top of her lungs right in front of you?" wonders Aichele. "I want the audience to feel as though they are caught in the immediacy of the play's action and, like watching a horror movie unfold before our eyes, we cannot look away."

NHTP's 2015-16 season is focusing on plays with strong female characters and themes. In the Salem of 1692, young women were at the very bottom of society's power hierarchy. Yet somehow these adolescent girls were able to cast a spell over the most powerful men in the country that culminated in the arrest of over 150 people, 19 of whom were hanged for witchcraft. Miller fictionalizes the story by creating emotional motives that modern audiences can understand - lust and jealousy. The real Abigail Williams was only 11 though, making this strange shift in power even more incomprehensible. But many of the women in Salem were repressed, beaten and starved for creative outlets, suffering from shock, grief and exhaustion. When a certain group suffers deprivation, it will always find a way to turn on those more privileged - something we forget at our peril.

Miller's taut staging gives us a view into a true American horror story that fascinates both for its truth and for the mystery that, 300 years later, we still cannot truly understand what happened. The cinematic experience of NHTP's production of The Crucible will be augmented with original music by CJ Lewis which will incorporate the human voice and live sound effects along with recorded instrumentals.

The Crucible stars Blair Hundertmark as John Proctor, Heather Glenn Wixson as Elizabeth Proctor, Roland Goodbody as Deputy Governor Danforth, and Emily Karel as the seductive Abigail Williams. Other familiar seacoast actors include Helen Brock, Shawn Crapo, Alan Huisman, Teddi Kenick-Bailey, Rachel Prest, Dominique Salvacion, Kathleen Somssich, Paul Strand and Shay Willard, along with newcomers Jemma Glenn Wixson and Colleen Spear.

Along with Aichele and Lewis, production team for The Crucible includes Meghann Beauchamp (Lighting & Set Design), Rachel Vilandre (Costume Design), Rachel Neubauer (Sound Design), Robin Fowler (Stage Manager), and Van Wile (Directing Assistant).

Sponsors for The Crucible are The Edgewood Centre, Threshold Stage Company, Diverse Networks LLC, and a generous Friend of NHTP.

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