Arthur Miller’s The Crucible comes to Brightn Fringe

Hunting for witches

The timeless tale of hysteria and superstition by the acclaimed American writer Arthur Miller

Pretty Villain came into being after an acclaimed, sold out production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire at the 2012 Brighton Festival. The company consists of a professional, award-winning director and writer, two professional actresses and a local business owner with a passion for theatre. Theirs has proven to be a formidable range of skills; however, despite their obviously very different backgrounds, the team has worked seamlessly together. Pretty Villain’s desire to produce high quality, accessible theatre in Brighton is once again on display at this year’s Brighton Fringe.

The Crucible is the dramatised story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay area around 1693. The play is in part based on reported events and is widely considered to be one of the greatest plays of the 20th Century.

When the village girls of Salem are discovered dancing in the woods they are accused of witchcraft. To save themselves, they turn the accusations back on their accusers. Politically-motivated hysteria grips the town; no one is safe from imprisonment or hanging. While a previously solid community turns on itself, one couple struggles to stand above the madness and hold on to the truth.

Arthur Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism (the 1950s investigation into alleged communism in America). He saw parallels between the McCarthy trials and the historical events of Salem, particularly in the way in which Congress demanded names of conspirators. Miller himself was convicted of ‘contempt of Congress’. In Miller’s own words: “the main point of the hearings, precisely as in 17th century Salem, was that the accused make public confession, damn his confederates and guarantee his new allegiance by breaking old vows”.

The Crucible is a play rich in themes and dynamics. You could say it’s about life under a totalitarian government and what happens to the individual who stands up to the regime. It is also seen as a comment upon what happens to a sense of community when superstition turns to hysteria and violence; there are modern-day parallels with Rwanda and Bosnia. By staging it as a promenade production, the audience and actor share the same space and the audience is placed at the heart of the action. The audience, emotionally, will leave with more than they came with, including a connection with the actors. It’s sure to be one of the highlights of this year’s Fringe.

In 2013, Pretty Villain produced The House Of Bernarda Alba and according to Plays International it was an “excellent treatment of the piece”, while the Brighton Fringe Review said it was “a well-directed and adeptly performed production”. They then performed Life x 3 – “you’ll love Life x 3” (The Latest) and finally Underneath The Lintel “Pretty Villain continues to impress with the authenticity of its offerings.” – Plays International.

Pretty Villain will stage two further shows in Brighton this year, in October and December.

Tickets for The Crucible are available from The Fringe Box Office, www.brightonfringe.org or 01273 917272. For more information on the company visit www.prettyvillain.com.