The Crucible

February 2008

Kiraly St Claire as the Reverend Parris and Schiarlene Williams as his daughter Betty act out one of the gripping scenes from 'The Crucible' at Lambeth College's Brixton Centre Theatre Studios.

It’s the late 17th Century, Salem Massachusetts and the young women from the village meet in the forest and begin a ritual.  They dance and chant around a fire, shouting the names of the men who they want to marry.  Abigail, however, does more than shout his name.  She shouts the name of John Proctor, smears the blood of a chicken on her face and wishes for the death of John Proctor’s wife.  When Abigail’s uncle, the Reverend Parris, arrives on the scene the girls scream and run away.  Parris’ daughter Betty falls over and knocks herself unconscious.  And so begins the story of ‘The Crucible’.

Lambeth College students on the Performing Arts BTEC National Diploma (Year 1) performed this Arthur Miller play, making use of the grounds of our Brixton Centre.  It began at the quadrant fountain where narrator Lateef Bello opened the show.  It moved on to the rear gardens for the forest scene and then into our Drama studios for the remainder of the production.

Alexandra McKell and Glodi Ngiena are cast as Abigail and John Proctor.

Arthur Miller created the Crucible in response to the infamous McCarthy ‘witch-hunts’ during the 1950s in America.  Joseph McCarthy was an American politician who led a campaign of aggressive investigations into communist influences. Miller describes in ‘The Crucible’ the events that occurred during the Salem witch trials and uses that event as an allegory for McCarthy’s crusade against those he accused of being communist and anti-American.

Agnes Malano and Jordan Ewan as Tituba and Reverend Hale.

Tutors Ruth Kendrick and Roy Lee worked closely with the students.  Ruth, the director of the play, said: ‘This is an intense drama and the students had to get it right if they were brave enough to tackle it.  I think they did a brilliant job.”  Roy said: “I’m proud of how seriously they took this and, although the students are in their first year of this course, I can see some real acting potential amongst the performers.  The audience were very complementary and I think a little surprised at just how good the acting, the sets and the costumes were.”

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