Auditions: The CrucibleRaleigh Little Theatre will be holding auditions for The Crucible. Auditions will be held on Monday & Tuesday, February 20 & 21, 2012 with call backs on Saturday, February 25. The production will be directed by Haskell Fitz-Simons.
Important dates
About the showThe Crucible is a powerful, fictional re-telling of a historical moment in 17th century America: the “witch trials” of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. A play famous for rousing the conscience of America, and one of the landmark dramas of the century, it depicts how difficult it is to defend principles and human dignity under conditions of paranoia, fear, and hysteria. The Crucible is an allegory of the insidious spread and reach of McCarthyism in the early 1950s. At the center of the Salem tragedy were real people - the “bewitched” young girls, the towns people who fell prey to the hysteria and the innocent individuals accused of witchcraft. Whether they helped create the witch-hunt or were at the mercy of the events, these people made up a community consumed by jealousy, fear, hysteria, superstition and hypocrisy. Early in the year of 1692 in Salem Massachusetts, a collection of girls from the colony fall victim to supposed hallucinations and seizures after dancing in the forest with a black female slave named Tituba. Suspicion surrounds Tituba and soon accusations and fears of witchcraft fill the town. Abigail Williams, 17 years old and beautiful, appears to be the girls’ ringleader, and when Tituba and Abigail begin accusing various townsfolk of conspiring with the devil, the other girls join in. Soon the colony is beset with jealousies, bitter quarrellings, and deeply held hatreds rise to the surface. Local farmer John Proctor is a deeply honest man and he suspects Abigail of being a fraud. But Proctor has a guilty secret to protect – an affair with Abigail when she was a servant in his house. This proves to be his downfall. Jealous and vindictive, Abigail accuses Proctor’s wife of dealings with the devil, and as the hysteria grows, Proctor hesitates to expose Abigail in fear of having his secret exposed and losing his good name. Old grudges and religious fervour result in tragedy, as good people are hanged for witchcraft, others are jailed, and a community is left with its conscience in tatters. You can see more information about the show and order tickets from our Crucible show page. About the rolesWhile Miller is fairly specific as to the ages of the characters in the script [Betty Parish (10); Abigail (17); Giles Corey (83); Rebecca Nurse (72); etc.], it is more important to this director that the actors are believable and can get at the essence of the characters and their life experiences... The Girls: Betty Parris [10- young teen] - Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter. Betty falls into a strange stupor (born more out of guilt and shame than for any supernatural causes) after Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the forest with Tituba. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumors of witchcraft. Abigail Williams [teenager- early 20’s] - Reverend Parris’s niece. Abigail was once the servant for the Proctor household, but Elizabeth Proctor dismissed her when she discovered that Abigail was having a sexual liaison with her husband, John. Abigail is smart, wily, a good liar, and vindictive when crossed. She is a tormented character who represents absolute evil and The Devil. She is the ‘mass murderer’ whose actions bring about the death of so many innocent people. She was deeply in love with John Proctor and now that love has been taken away from her, her vengeance is powerful. She wants revenge. But her life is not an easy one. She is an orphan whose parents were murdered by the Wabanaki. She has raised herself, feeling somewhat on the edge of society, and observing all the manipulation and hypocrisy around her. Her power comes from her intelligence, empathy and courage. She’s like an animal, instinctual and strong. She knows what she has to do to get what she wants. Mary Warren [teenager- early 20’s] A servant in the Proctor household and a member of Abigail’s group of girls. She is a timid girl, easily influenced by those around her. She innocently gives the poppet to Elizabeth, which leads to her accusation of being a witch. She is used by Abigail to accuse Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth. John takes Mary to the court, hoping she will recant and confess to the girls’ pretense. But Mary fears Abigail, and, at the eleventh hour, when Abigail leads the other girls against her, Mary turns on Proctor and accuses him. Mercy Lewis [teenager- early 20’s], -- a sly, merciless girl of eighteen. Susanna Wallcott [teenager- early 20’s] --- Girl of the town; Same age as Abigail People of the Town: John Proctor [30’s-40’s] A local farmer who lives just outside town; Elizabeth Proctor’s husband. A stern, harsh-tongued man, John hates hypocrisy. Nevertheless, he has a hidden sin—his affair with Abigail Williams—that proves his downfall. When the hysteria begins, he hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he worries that his secret will be revealed and his good name ruined. John is a deeply honest man, who is troubled by his act of lechery with Abigail. Driven by guilt, Proctor becomes the hero of this play, but he is painfully human. His fall from grace is part of his humanity. He is weak and undecided, full of contradictions, and yet he makes heroic choices. He is a man who can be easily understood because he is imperfect. Part of this imperfection is the knowledge that his bond with Abigail is not completely ended. His choices are difficult but in the end, heroic. Elizabeth Proctor [30’s-40’s] John Proctor’s wife. At the start of the play, Elizabeth has dismissed Abigail, whom she discovered was having a sexual liaison with husband (thus incurring Abigail’s wrath and thirst for revenge). Elizabeth is a good woman who has been treated badly and she pays the ultimate price. Her love and understanding of her husband John is powerful. She is no fool and understands Abigail’s intentions well, better than Proctor himself. She is a loving mother, and is sent to prison even though she carries a child. She is described as being cold, but is perhaps merely accepting of her life as a “wronged” woman in a repressive society. Thomas Putnam [40’s-50’s] A wealthy, influential citizen of Salem, Putnam holds a grudge against Francis Nurse for preventing Putnam’s brother-in-law from being elected to the office of minister. He uses the witch trials to increase his own wealth by accusing people of witchcraft and then buying up their land. Ann Putnam - [40’s-50’s] Thomas Putnam’s wife. Ann Putnam has given birth to eight children, but only Ruth Putnam survived. The other seven died before they were a day old, and Ann is convinced that they were murdered by supernatural means, possibly due to the “dark influence” of Rebecca Nurse, her mid-wife. Tituba [40’s – 50’s] A woman of color, possibly of native Indian heritage, or possibly of African heritage. Reverend Parris’s slave from Barbados. Tituba agrees to perform a magical ritual at Abigail’s request. Tituba was the first witch to confess in Salem, though she likely did it to avoid punishment. Francis Nurse - [50’s – 60’s] A wealthy, influential man in Salem. Nurse is well respected by most people in Salem, but is an enemy of Thomas Putnam and his wife. Rebecca Nurse - [50’s – 60’s] Francis Nurse’s wife. Rebecca is a wise, sensible, and upright woman, held in tremendous regard by most of the Salem community. However, she falls victim to the hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess. Giles Corey - [60’s] An elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits. Giles’s wife, Martha, is accused of witchcraft, and he himself is eventually held in contempt of court and pressed to death with large stones. Sarah Goode – “An old crone”; Near 60; She is old and poor, evidently homeless and, perhaps, mentally unstable…. Ezekiel Cheever – a tailor; De Facto Clerk of the court Willard – Marshal of the court; a drunkard Hopkins – Jailer Townsfolk -- Perhaps a few more TOWNSFOLK to fill out the group scenes (a great opportunity: reduced rehearsal schedule and a minimum of those “pesky” lines to learn!) Clergy and Lawyers: Reverend Parris [40’s] - The new minister of Salem’s church. A single parent, Reverend Parris is acquisitive, paranoid, and power-hungry. Many of the townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community. Reverend John Hale [30’s-40’s] - A young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Reverend Hale is called in to Salem to examine Parris’s daughter Betty. Hale is a committed Christian and hater of witchcraft. His critical mind and intelligence save him from falling into blind fervor. His arrival sets the hysteria in motion, although he later regrets his actions and attempts to save the lives of those accused. Over the course of the play, however, he experiences a transformation, one more remarkable than that of any other character. Listening to John Proctor and Mary Warren, he becomes convinced that they, not Abigail, are telling the truth. In the climactic scene in the court in Act III, he throws his lot in with those opposing the witch trials. In tragic fashion, his about-face comes too late—the trials are no longer in his hands but rather in those of Danforth and the theocracy, which has no interest in seeing its proceedings exposed as a sham. Judge Danforth [ 50’s-60’s]- The Deputy Governor of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at the witch trials. Honest and scrupulous, Danforth is a tough Boston lawyer who is basically fair, honest and scrupulous but overconfident in his ability to judge the truth. He is always right, at least in his own mind, and is convinced that he is doing right in rooting out witchcraft. Danforth feels that it is his duty and destiny to purge society of evil and establish the Kingdom of Christ on earth. He is, therefore, temperamentally inclined to interpret all evidence as proof that Satan's forces are operating in Salem and seems to feel particularly strongly that the girls are honest. He is sensitive to the presence of the devil and reacts explosively to whatever evidence is presented. Judge Hathorne [50’s 60’s]- The leading judge who presides, along with Danforth, over the witch trials. Hathorne is portrayed as sadistic and, quite possibly, the most ignorant, antagonistic character besides Abigail Williams and her posse. Hathorne continually denies witnesses any chance to redeem their names in court, as if he has already determined the outcome. He is cynical and rarely shows emotion, with the exception of the finale, where he is almost joyful that John Proctor is going to confess his crimes. About the production teamThe Crucible will be directed by Haskell Fitz-Simons. About the auditionsAuditions will consist of readings from the script; however, auditioners will have the opportunity to present a 2 minute monologue. (This is not required, but will give the Director a chance to observe your PREPARED work). Perusal copies of the script are available for a 48 hour checkout from the RLT business office which is in the rear of the building and open Mon-Fri 10:00am-5:00pm. Please call the RLT business office (919-821-4579) to check on availability. Audition formsInterested in auditioning? Here's some forms to fill out and bring with you to auditions plus some helpful documents:
You are here: Home > Auditions: The Crucible |