"The Crucible"

By Arthur Miller

Directed by Matt Owens

​

Welcome to Salem 1692! A good place to call home!  

 

Salem, a good place to raise a family. Faith, family, community. Nothing out of place...

 

What happens when a community becomes more committed to preserving the image of its own purity and goodness than confronting the truth about itself? In defending the perfect picture, who is a town willing to destroy?

​

Our Salem exists in an idealised version of 1950s small-town America. A world of white clapboard churches and Coca-Cola signs. Sunday best, baseball on the radio and knowing thy neighbour. Inspired by the optimistic imagery of post-war Americana advertising and Norman Rockwell, it is a community deeply invested in the idea that it is wholesome, prosperous and good. Everybody knows their neighbours. Everybody has a place. Everybody understands how they are expected to behave.

​

But beneath that picture-perfect surface sits a profound anxiety about reputation, conformity and belonging. To be accepted in Salem is to be seen as a good neighbour, a good Christian and a good American. As suspicion spreads through the town, the visual language of wholesome Americana begins to mutate into that of McCarthy-era paranoia. Neighbours become informants, community meetings become interrogations, family photographs become identification records. A society that once celebrated its citizens begins cataloguing, accusing and removing them.

​

Arthur Miller’s epic tells us the story of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and how 19 men and women were sent to the gallows for being possessed by the Devil.

Shop local! Keep Salem Strong!

​

When, where, and what?

​

8pm, Friday 6th November

United Reformed Church, East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8RH

 

8pm, Monday 9th November

Bell House, 27 College Rd, London SE21 7BG

 

There is no need to prepare anything in advance. Everyone will be asked to read a variety of different roles and sections. The important thing is a chemistry between the cast and a willingness to bring the characters to life. No-one is getting judged on their accent skills, but there will be a requirement for an American accent owing to the setting. We will offer training and guidance to help all the cast.

​

If you would find it helpful to have the sections in advance, or have any questions about any of the roles, please do let us know and we’d be happy to help.

​

Please do note that the most important thing for us when casting a play is that we tell a great story and that all our cast enjoy being part of it. We aim to be fully inclusive, casting on how we feel actors show the character, and not on appearance or accent. We encourage people of all backgrounds to audition for the parts they would most enjoy, and not just those they feel they are 'right' for.

​​​

Crew

Anyone who has an interest or desire to get involved backstage will be welcomed with open arms. Please get in touch if there is a role you’d like explore or you’d just like to get involved. This will be a tech-heavy production with lighting, sound and projections as well as stage crew required. 

​

Rehearsals

Rehearsal will begin in January, with a read-through before Christmas. Rehearsals generally take place at either United Reformed Church, East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8RH or St Barnabas Parish Hall, 23 Dulwich Village, London SE21 7BT. 

​​

Production week

4th until 11th April 2027

James Alleyn’s Girls School - 144 East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8TE. You will need to be available from April 4th - April 11 inclusive, with a commitment to being able to make it to the venue by no later than 6pm from the 5th until 9th April. ​​

​