Readers' Theatre

"The Crucible"
Runs April 20, 21, 22

    In the early 1950's, playwright Arthur Miller was subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Un-American Activities Committee chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy, in a time of hysteria when many members of the show business community were called before that committee and accused of being members of the communist party.  Miller, whose plays up to that time included All My Sons as well as his most enduring work, Death of a Salesman, responded to the work of the Senate committee by writing his searing drama The Crucible, about another dark and chilling moment of hysteria from this nation's past, the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692.  The Crucible premiered in 1953.  This weekend, ACT I presents a readers' theatre version of that play, produced at the Ray House at 7:30 PM on Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21, and 2:00 PM Sunday, April 22.

    Although The Crucible is a fictionalized account, it is based upon the actual events of 1692 and is a fairly accurate telling of the incident.  Most of the characters in the play actually lived, though several are composites of actual personalities who lived in Salem at the time.

    The incident begins in the spring of 1692 in the household of Reverend Samuel Parris, a widower who has served the village of Salem, Massachusetts for three years as a minister of the Puritan faith.  Rev. Parris lives with his young daughter Betty, his niece Abigail Williams, and his slave Tituba, a native of Barbados.  One night, Rev. Parris discovers Abigail, Tituba, and Betty, along with several other village girls, dancing in the woods as if practicing some pagan ritual.  Betty becomes extremely ill afterward, and rumor has it that she was attempting to fly.  The incident also included Tituba's attempt to conjure up the dead sisters of Ruth Putnam, another one of the village girls, and it doesn't take long for the residents of Salem to conclude that witchcraft is afoot.  Reverend Hale of Beverly, an expert on witchcraft, is sent for, and before long a major tribunal is set up in Salem, led by Deputy Governor Danforth.  The group of young girls who were at first at the mercy of the authorities soon find themselves holding all the trump cards, being able to accuse whom they like and have those accusations taken with deadly seriousness.  Those convicted of witchcraft are sentenced to hang, but their lives will be spared if they make a full confession.  Some, like Tituba, are quick to confess.  But others will die before admitting to a false conviction.

    Not all the citizens of Salem are convinced that the incident in the woods had anything to do with witchcraft.  A young farmer, John Proctor, the elderly Rebecca and Francis Nurse, and the feisty old Giles Corey, struggle to bring reason to the village before it is too late.  John Proctor, however, shares a dark secret with Abigail Williams.  He and Abigail, formerly a servant in the Proctor household, carried on a brief affair.  When Abigail accuses Proctor's wife Elizabeth of witchcraft, Proctor knows all too well what the girl's true motive is.  Even Reverend Hale realizes things have gotten out of hand and tries to bring reason to the situation.  Ultimately, by the time the hysteria died down, nineteen citizens of Salem had been hanged.

The upheaval in Salem village in 1692 is portrayed in this scene from THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller, performed at the Ray House.  From left is Director Le Cox as Elizabeth Proctor, Bill Owens as Reverend Hale, Larry Adams-Bowers as John Proctor, and Ron Baldwin as Giles Corey.

    For ACT I's readers' theatre version of the play, director Le Cox has condensed the script, eliminated some characters from the large cast, and used narrative passages to transition the cuts.  But the dramatic impact of this powerful script is certainly there and the story remains profoundly moving.

    The central character of John Proctor is played by Larry Adams-Bowers.  Reverend Samuel Parris is played by Ed Dickerson.  Abigail Williams is played by Jaimie Tucker, Reverend John Hale by Bill Owens, Giles Corey by Ron Baldwin, and Steve Arnold is Deputy Governor Danforth.  Others in the cast include Beverly Adams-Bowers as Rebecca Nurse, Le Cox as Elizabeth Proctor, Jessica Rundlett is Mercy Lewis, Josie Rundlett is Mary Warren, Linda Radcliffe is Ann Putnam, Greg Walston is Thomas Putnam, and Len Taylor makes his ACT I debut as Judge Hawthorne.

In the intensely compelling courtroom scene, John Proctor, played by Larry Adams-Bowers, confronts his young servant Mary Warren, played by Josie Rundlett as Rev. Parris (Ed Dickerson), Deputy Governor Danforth (Steve Arnold), and Abigail Williams (Jaimie Tucker) look on.

    Deb Vaughn serves as both Stage Manager and House Manager.  Dean and Nancy Beckman and Linda Radcliffe are in charge of serving hors d'oeuvres. 

    Playwright Arthur Miller was born in 1915.  Although such plays as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible make him one of the literary giants of the twentieth century culture, he also earned a place in our twentieth century pop culture, as the third husband of actress Marilyn Monroe.

    Admission to The Crucible is $9.00, which includes hors d'oeuvres served at intermission.  The price for students age 14 and under is $6.00.  The production is not recommended for very young patrons.   

"What God Says to Me When I Am Alone"
Brings Variety of Verse to Vinton

Casting Announced for "Harvey"

ACT I TRIVIA QUIZ

Crime and Punishment

We all know that good crimes make good drama.  Although our current crime drama, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, deals with crimes of which people are falsely accused, ACT I has produced plenty of shows where the crimes were real. Identify the following shows or crimes from out past seasons.

1. A show devoted almost entirely to crime was the musical Oliver! Among the many crimes committed in that show, (including murder, extortion, kidnapping, and an endless string of robberies) what was Oliver Twist accused of stealing?

2. Another show devoted to crime was Sleuth. What crime did Andrew Wyck entice Milo Tindle into committing during the first act of that show?

3. Yet another show focusing entirely on crime was The Night of January 16th, which portrays a murder trial in which a jury from the audience decides whether Karen Andre is guilty of murdering Bjorn Faulkner.  In three performances out of four, the ACT I jury found the defendant not guilty.  Who portrayed Karen Andre in our production?

4. For what crime was Prince Edward falsely accused and jailed in The Prince and the Pauper?

5. Which actor was knocked off in Knock ‘Em Dead?

6. What did Burns Mossman steal from Dan LaGrange in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever?

7.  What did Heidi Husnik steal from Kim Hanneman in Bridge to Terabithia?

8. In Marvin’s Room, Josh Deutsch played a disturbed teen confined to a mental institution. For what crime was he so punished? 

9. Which long past show took place in a prison?

10. In which show was a rape committed?

Submit answers to: act1ofBC@aol.com

or mail to ACT I of Benton County Trivia Quiz
Box 222, Vinton, Iowa  52349

REMEMBER:  You do not need to have all the answers in order to submit an entry!  

Answers to Last Month's Quiz

My Fair Lady

How many details to you remember from the ACT I production of My Fair Lady?

1.  One of the most beloved songs from this show is "On the Street Where You Live."  What is the name of the street to which this song refers?        WIMPOLE STREET

2.  The opening scene of the play takes place outside the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden just after a performance of which opera?        GOTTERDAMMERUNG

3.  In one of the scenes of the first act, Rick Murphy as Colonel Pickering is seen reading a newspaper, a replica of an actual London newspaper created by prop mistress Shirale Hanson from the year and month in which that scene takes place.  What famous event is featured on the front page of that paper?
                    THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC

4.  What is Eliza Doolittle's home neighborhood in London?
                    LISSON GROVE

5.  How much money did Alfred P. Doolittle inherit from Ezra Wallingford?
                    FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS A YEAR

6.  What was Colonel Pickering's first name?
                    HUGH

7.  In the hugely funny Ascot scene, Eliza describes in detail her aunt's final illness.  What feat of strength does she claim her aunt performed?
                    SHE BIT THE BOWL OFF A SPOON

8.  How much money does Eliza offer to pay Henry Higgins for lessons?
                    ONE SCHILLING

9.  What are the two subjects that Eliza is to limit herself to in conversation at Ascot?
                    THE WEATHER AND EVERYONE'S HEALTH

10.  Finish the following:  "In Hartford, Heresford, and Hampshire ..."                HURRICANES HARDLY EVER HAPPEN

11.  What does Henry Higgins suggest to Colonel Pickering to "quieten your nerves" ?
                    A GLASS OF PORT

12.  What does Zoltan Karpathy conclude is the true identity of Eliza Doolittle?
                    A HUNGARIAN PRINCESS

The Next Meeting of the Board of ACT I of Benton County will be Sunday, May 6, 2001 at 6:00 PM in the ACT I Studio.
Visitors are always welcome.

Minutes of meetings from the current year can be accessed on the Board page of our website.

Message from
the (Interim) Editor  

I'm doing one last issue after all -- Marcy has been busy working on the May issue I told her I could take care of doing the April issue, so here is really my last issue before Marcy returns as editor.  Hope to see you all at The Crucible, one of my favorite plays!  

                        Steve Arnold  (signing off for now!)     

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