DETROIT –Bonstelle Theatre presents the Tony Award-winning play The Crucible by world-renowned playwright Arthur Miller as the opening production of the 2012-2013 season on Friday, October 12, 2012. Playing for two weekends only, this classic American drama closes on Sunday, October 21. Tickets are $12 - $15 and are available by calling the Bonstelle Theatre Box Office at (313) 577-2960, online at www.bonstelle.com, or by visiting the box office in the Hilberry Theatre located at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Hancock.
Drawing on the culture of fear that surrounded the villagers of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible explores the effects of paranoia and the destruction of innocence caused by the rabid accusations of witchcraft begun by spurned mistress Abigail Williams. Flames of hysteria ignited, consuming Salem as the villagers waited, stunned, to find out who would be accused next.
Director Lavinia Hart comments, “In the face of corruption, we discover the distance some will be required to go in order to meet their responsibility to family, friends and society.”
Miller composed The Crucible as a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials, with the witch trials standing in for the anti-Communist “witch-hunts” of the 1950s during the McCarthy era. As with the alleged witches of Salem, suspected Communists were encouraged to confess and identify other Communist sympathizers as means of escaping punishment. Many of those accused of Communism suffered loss of employment and/or destruction of their careers; some even suffered imprisonment.
Especially relevant due to the upcoming 2012 Presidential election, the corruption and deception Miller represented in The Crucible stands as a timely reminder to not always take everything at face value. Smear campaigning, or mudslinging, an intentional, premeditated effort to undermine an individual’s or group’s reputation, credibility, and character, has nearly become synonymous with modern-day politics. Like the accusations of witchcraft, smear campaigns focus on unverifiable rumors that are often distortions, half-truths, or even outright lies disseminated by gossip. Politicians use smear campaigns to undermine their opponent with the aim to win an election, just as certain villagers in Salem took advantage of the accusations for personal gain.
The cast includes (in alphabetical order):
Mackenzie Conn (Walled Lake, MI) as Abigail Williams, Jacqueline Fenton (Allen Park, MI) as Susanna Walcott, Daniel Finn (Armada, MI) as Ezekiel Cheever, Jordan Fritz (River Rouge, MI) as Giles Corey, Amber Gale (Detroit, MI) as Girl 1, Robert J. Hammond (Troy, MI) as Willard, Ivy Haralson (Belleville, MI) as Tituba, Shannon Hurst (Warren, MI) as Girl 4, Sharayah Johnson (Birch Run, MI) as Ann Putnam, Sara Kline (Royal Oak, MI) as Rebecca Nurse, Kelly Klopocinski (Sterling Heights, MI) as Elizabeth Proctor, Alyssa Lucas (Garden City, MI) as Mercy Lewis, Colin Mallory (East Lansing, MI) as Reverend Parris, Jackson McLaskey (Mt Clemens, MI) as John Proctor, Michael Meike (Clinton Twp) as Judge Danforth, Matthew Miazgowicz (Dearborn, MI) as Thomas Putnam, Yesmeen Mikhail (Wyandotte, MI) as Sarah Good, Malvina Mirowski (Sterling Heights, MI) as Betty Parris, Hope Morawa (Lincoln Park, MI) as Girl 3, Bryauna Perkins (Chesterfield, MI) as Hopkins and Girl 2, Aeisha Reese (Flint, MI) as Mary Warren, Laith Salim (Dearborn, MI) as Francis Nurse, Stuart Sturton (Dexter, MI) as Judge Hathorne, and Nicholas Yocum (Royal Oak, MI) as Reverend Hale.
The production team includes:
Lavinia Hart (Director), Nicholas Boyd (Stage Manager), Anthony Karpinski (Scenic Designer), Fred Florkowski (Technical Director), Donna Buckley (Costume Designer), Gabriel Rice (Lighting Designer), Michael C. Thomas (Sound Designer), Cheryl Turski (Movement Coach), and Patrick Pozezinski (Publicity Manager).
About the Bonstelle Theatre
The Bonstelle Theatre is a Broadway-style House with a 1,143-seat auditorium featuring a balcony. Here, future stars of theatre, film, and television follow in the footsteps of such successful alumni as Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning S. Epatha Merkerson (NBC’s Law and Order, Lackawanna Blues), Lily Tomlin (9 to 5, ABC’s Desperate Housewives) and Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, NBC’s Heroes). For box office hours and information on performances, tickets, group discounts and corporate packages, please call the box office at (313) 577-2960 or visit the theatre’s website at www.bonstelle.com.
Season sponsored by CBS Outdoor, Between the Lines and Encore Michigan.
The Crucible is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
The Crucible
By Arthur Miller
-Calendar Information-
October 12, 2012 – October 21, 2012
Thursday 10 a.m, Oct. 18
Friday 8 p.m., Oct. 12, Oct. 19
Saturday 8 p.m., Oct. 13, Oct. 20
Sunday 2 p.m., Oct. 14, Oct. 21
Photo Caption: (From left to right: Malvina Mirowski, Mackenzie Conn, Aeisha Reese)
Photo Credit: Patrick Pozezinski