Webb presents a modernized version of The Crucible


Hannalise Davidson (‘20) and Molly Mitchell (‘20) accuse the townspeople of witchcraft in an intense scene of The Crucible. Graphic courtesy of Ms. Plumley

Webb students demonstrated their theatrical talent the evenings of November 2, 3 and 4, in a production of The Crucible. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible about the Salem Witch Trials to illustrate the American fear of Communism during the 1950s. He points out the people’s ability to cause mass hysteria with just a few accusations. The actors accurately followed the plotline of the original play by Arthur Miller, but brought it to life with a more contemporary representation.

In the 1690s, Salem, Massachusetts was a Puritan community. However, the cast of The Crucible wore more modern clothing instead of traditional Puritan attire. Reverend Hale, a male character in the play, was portrayed instead as a woman by Rachel Kho (‘19). In a tense dinner scene, Erika Sampson (‘19), who played Elizabeth Proctor, scrolls through her phone to display a lack of interest in her husband, John Proctor, played by Jacob Miller (‘18). The modernization of The Crucible made the play more relatable to the audience made up of Webb students.

There were many strong performances throughout the evening. There were frequent dramatic shouting matches between John Proctor and other various actors. Molly Mitchell (‘20), who took the role of Betty Parris, shocked the audience with her bloodcurdling shrieks. Ariel Benjamin (‘20), Hannalise Davidson (‘20), Molly Mitchell (‘20) and Leah West (‘18) gave a powerful yet unsettling performance as they echoed, in unison, the words of Mary Warren, played by Allie Guerrini (‘21). Despite the show being three hours long, the entire cast did an amazing job at maintaining their energy through the final scene.

Although the true cause of the Salem Witch Trials is unknown, Arthur Miller suggests one of the reasons is the love affair between Abigail Williams, played by Hannalise Davidson (‘20) and John Proctor. Abigail wants John to leave his wife so she uses the flying accusations of witchcraft to her advantage, ending in the arrest of Elizabeth. John ends up in jail as well after Mary Warren turns against him to save her own skin.

The play has a bleak ending; John Proctor is sent to his death and his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is unable to do anything about it. Meanwhile, Reverend Parris, played by Gil Dominguez-Letelier (‘20), and Reverend Hale are troubled by their conscience after sentencing 20 innocent people to execution. Although Salem begins as a seemingly reasonable community, the town is sent on a roller coaster of accusations which follow the whims and desires of a group of teenage girls.

Jonathan Zhang (‘21) says, “I liked the play. The actors were all really good at acting. I really felt their characters and I feel like they were absorbed in the play. I liked the scene where they were debating with the judge. It actually felt really emotional when they were angry.” Overall, the theater students did a fantastic job at presenting The Crucible to the Webb community in an engaging way.