Table of Contents
Nearly 350 years after the Salem witch trials, Marblehead Little Theatre will revisit the story with its production of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” running Oct. 3-19.
The production features Marblehead residents Donna Cotterell, Niko King-Mahan and Flynn MacCallum in a drama that director Trudi Olivetti believes resonates powerfully with contemporary times.
“It seems like it’s always timely,” Olivetti said of Miller’s play. “There are always witch hunts and always this kind of mass hysteria and polarizing situations in this society, and we feel that we’re at a point — at this time in this country where that is the case.”
Miller drew extensively from historical court transcripts when crafting “The Crucible,” which centers on the 1692 Salem witch trials.
“A lot of the script dialog in this comes straight from” historical records, Olivetti noted, emphasizing the playwright’s commitment to authenticity in capturing the period’s atmosphere and language.
Writing during the McCarthy era and Red Scare of the 1950s, Miller used the witch trials as a powerful metaphor for the political persecution he witnessed in his own time, transforming historical tragedy into contemporary warning.
The production’s emotional intensity builds throughout the performance, creating challenges for both cast and audience. “The play sort of never lets out. You know, the tension builds, and I think that the cast absolutely does feel that,” Olivetti said. “They absolutely realize what they’re saying. They realize the importance of the context.”
The historical setting adds to the drama’s oppressive atmosphere. The Puritan community depicted lived in isolation, only a generation removed from leaving England, creating vulnerability and rigid social order. “These were people that were only a generation or so from having had to leave their country. So there was that feeling, too, of being not necessarily isolated, but some feeling of sickness and being kind of immediately in a different place,” Olivetti explained.
Religion offered judgment rather than comfort in this austere society, she noted. “It was judgmental. And you were either saved or you were not saved,” Olivetti said. “It wasn’t, that wasn’t the purpose sort of warn people about the horrors of hell and to live an upright life.”
The production emphasizes universal themes while maintaining historical authenticity. “It’s absolutely important to be aware of the universal themes,” Olivetti said.
The staging utilizes minimalist design to focus attention on the human drama. “It’s pretty minimal,” Olivetti explained. “Each scene has its own chairs, but each scene has a window.”
Marblehead’s historical response to the Salem Witch Trials provides local context – the town largely rejected the hysteria, with one resident, Wilmot Redd, ultimately convicted.
Olivetti hopes audiences will connect with both the performance quality and broader message. “I hope that they enjoy the performance. Appreciate the stellar acting that I have in my hands here,” she said. “I hope people have a sense of the universal aspect of the story, sure — and just to be reminded again about that. And it’s a cautionary tale to a large degree.”
Olivetti directs with assistant director Andrew Hankinson, while Erin Pelikhov and Christopher King serve as producers.
Performances run three weekends at Marblehead Little Theatre, 12 School St., Marblehead. Tickets are available at MLTLive.org, with advance reservations recommended.
