Casting Statement, Project 1. (continued)

   

Casting the Play

    The Crucible by Arthur Miller was written and first produced on Broadway in 1953.  It tells the story of a late seventeenth century Salem, Massachusetts and its battle with "witchcraft."  It is largely based on the actual witchcraft trials of 1692, in which twenty (or more) men and women were hanged for practicing witchcraft.  The characters range in age from twelve to about 80 and are of all shapes and sizes.  I believe color, however, will be a different matter.
    The opening scene of The Crucible starts in the home of Reverend Parris, in his middle to late thirties.  His daughter, Betty, is the youngest of the girls in the show at age 12.  Tituba, a slave from Barbados, is in her middle sixties.  In the first act the audience is introduced to a slew of characters, including John Proctor, the lead of the script.  He is said to be anywhere from age thirty-five to about forty-two.  In a professional theatre setting with the amount of performers who audition, each  role could be played by someone who actually is the age of the character... It is not a physically demanding show, so men and women character over the age of sixty can be portrayed by actors the same age.  It does not necessarily have to be that way, however... If there are a ton of young men and women who audition, they could definitely be cast as any of the characters.  The younger roles, Betty, Abigail, and Mary should be cast as young women up to age twenty-five.
    The weight or shape or appearance of any performer does not matter for this production.  Being Colonial America, however, many of the younger men and women were what we would consider skinny.  The older characters, Tituba and Francis and Rebecca Nurse, can definitely be heavy set if the casting director chooses them to be so.  There is no such thing as unattractive actor, so every type of performer is more than welcome to audition.
    There are some color issues in The Crucible, though.  One character, Tituba, is a slave and is stated to be dark... which is fitting and accurate for the time period, as she is the first to be accused of witch craft.  It also works the other way around.  It would be unlogical to cast John, Elizabeth, or any other large role using someone of color.  All of these men and women were English and not servants, historically making them caucasian.  That being said if you are someone that is not white, it will not effect what role you may be cast as.  If the casting director sees fit to do the show using color-blind casting, then so be it.
    The Crucible is a beautiful show written about a dark time in our country's history.  We are and will be striving to do this script and its author justice in our performance and interpretation of it.  Miller's show is a classic and has been since it was first published... Hopefully, we are able to beautifully honor his memory and the memory of those murdered in the fateful summer and fall of 1692.