Hysteria is Created by Freedom's The Crucible

by Francisco Santelli, Cypress Creek HS

When hysteria breaks out in a small isolated town, the degree of hysteria cannot help but increase exponentially until everything falls onto itself. Freedom High School’s production of the recently deceased Arthur Miller’s acclaimed play, The Crucible, captured this sense of hysteria in a high-tension performance.

The Crucible follows a compressed timeline of the events of the Salem Witch Trials. A few girls began accusing people of witchcraft, and the situation deteriorated into complete chaos with innocent men and women being hanged at the hands of an impossible court.

Freedom High School placed its production of The Crucible on a minimalist set, which worked to place the focus on the dramatic elements of the play. Some strong performances kept the play balanced and created a believable circumstance. There was a great tension that could be felt on stage between each of the characters, and the undertones of revenge and sacrifice became apparent.

John and Elizabeth Proctor, played by Connor Marsico and Darlinette Goris, had an incredible sense of characte and gave insight into the awkward yet loving relationship between the couple. Goris played her role with great emotional restraint, allowing view of her contrasting emotions. The scenes between the Proctors were some of the best in the play, thanks to their well-placed awkwardness and emotional restraint.

Ben Artes, portraying Reverend John Hale, gave one of the freshest performances in Freedom’s production. He provided a stark contrast to the inherent hysteria of the play in addition to some of the overly elongated screaming and emotional highs. Artes brought the performance down to a restrained and balanced level, only hitting the top of the emotional spectrum when necessary.

Thanks to the stage crew, led by Richie Andrini and Ally Gursky, a beat was not missed in between scenes, and the tension was kept high. Set changes were handled quickly and with minimal noise. T.J. Kervitsky, the lighting designer, made some noteworthy choices, especially with a dramatic special on Elizabeth Proctor at the closing of the play that gave the audience a feeling of isolation that Proctor so surely felt.

Although Freedom High School’s performers did rely a bit too much on the high points of the emotional spectrum, considering the difficulty of the play, Freedom’s cast pulled it off with precision of character. They brought great justice to Arthur Miller’s work, and accurately recreated greatly the hysteria of the times.

Originally published in The Backstage Noise, Fall, 2005