Photos: In Rehearsal For THE CRUCIBLE At Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts has announced 2023’s much-anticipated Literature Live! presentation: Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning play THE CRUCIBLE has begun rehearsals with a lively local cast. The classic yet timely play opens on Thursday, November 6, and runs through Sunday, November 26. Will Pomerantz will direct the compelling drama chosen for this, the 15th anniversary of the popular Literature Live! performance series.

As part of Literature Live! programming, free performances are available to school groups. Teachers and administrators may register their school groups by contacting Director of Education & Community Outreach, Allen O'Reilly, at allen@baystreet.org or by calling 631.725.0818.
 
The cast features Allen O'Reilly as Reverend Samuel Parris, Kate Fitzgerald as Abigail Williams, Teresa DeBerry as Mrs. Ann Putnam and Rebecca Nurse, Gabriel Portuondo as Thomas Putnam and The Bailiff, Sonnie Betts as Mercy Lewis, Anna Francesca Schiavoni as Mary Warren, Joe Pallister as John Proctor, Meg Gibson as Elizabeth Proctor, and Keith Reddin as Reverend John Hale, and Matthew Conlon as Deputy-Governor Danforth. (In order of appearance).

THE CRUCIBLE is a gripping play set in 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials. It explores mass hysteria, deception, and the consequences of false accusations in a Puritan community. The story follows the unraveling of a tight-knit society as paranoia and fear lead to a witch hunt that destroys lives.

Free admission is available to all school students, teachers, and administrators who can reserve weekday performances at times that work for them on a first-come, first-serve basis. Literature Live! is an annual BOCES-approved Arts-in-Education program where teachers are provided curriculum guides in advance to help with content and additional aspects of learning. Each student performance will be followed by a talkback and Q&A session with various members of the team and the audience.
 
Now in its 15th year, Literature Live! was started by Bay Street Theater’s Executive Director Tracy Mitchell: ”This program came about when seeing how little of the performing arts were being incorporated into my own daughter’s curriculum. I was shocked because my own exposure to theater had been so life-changing, and I can’t imagine if I hadn’t had that, what experiences I would have missed out on in my own life.” Bay Street Theater is committed to supporting students with little or no access to the performing arts in schools. To date, Bay Street has served over 80 schools and over 35,000 students, including those with special needs, homeschoolers, and students from as far away as New Jersey and New York City in person, and numerous others with digital access during COVID-19. 
 
Public performances will be offered November 9th - 26th. Tickets start at $37 and are available online 24/7 at baystreet.org, or by visiting or calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500, Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Groups of 10 or more are welcome and receive a special discount if reserved directly through the Box Office. On November 11th, admission for Veterans for both the 2 PM sensory-friendly performance and the regular 7 PM performance. Those Vets wishing to take advantage of free tickets should call the box office at 631.725.9500.
 

Photo Credit: Phil Merritt

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