Kentwood Players announces open auditions for
THE CRUCIBLE
by Arthur Miller
On Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12, 2017
At the Westchester Playhouse
Kentwood Players will hold open auditions for the play THE CRUCIBLE, by Arthur Miller
Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, November 11, from 10 to 5, and Sunday, November 12, from 5 to 10. Callbacks are on Monday, November 13, at 7pm. This is a non-equity, non-paid production directed by George L. Rametta and produced by Lauren A. Jarvis for Kentwood Players with rights secured from Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
Performance dates are January 12 – February 17, 2018 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Auditions and performances take place at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045.
Miller won the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play, and The Crucible has gone on to become a classic, regarded as one of the great American dramas.
Using the historical and controversial subject of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible presents an allegory of events from the McCarthy Hearings of the 1950’s. Reason and fact become clouded by irrational fears and the desire to place blame for society’s problems on others. John Proctor, a blunt, out-spoken farmer is the play’s central character. He gets caught up in a conspiracy not even his own strength can control when his ex-lover Abigail throws false accusations on his wife Elizabeth. As Proctor tries to free his wife and prove all others accused of witchcraft innocent, he finds himself accused as well. One man stands in a tug-of-war between God and Satan, pride and damnation, and good and evil. It all leads to a climactic ending in which one lost soul finds peace with himself and realizes the importance of one's own dignity.
Those auditioning should read the play before auditioning to become familiar with the characters. Please allow time to sign-in and complete paperwork during scheduled audition times. Please bring a current headshot and resume as well as your calendar as a rehearsal schedule will be posted at auditions and you will be asked to note any conflicts. No appointment or monologue is necessary; just be prepared for selected cold readings from the script. If you have any questions or concerns, please email
crucible@kentwoodplayers.org
Character Breakdown
John Proctor - (30s – 40s) A local farmer who lives just outside town; Elizabeth Proctor’s husband. A stern, harsh-tongued man, John hates hypocrisy & tries to be a stand-up guy. Nevertheless, he has a hidden sin—his affair with Abigail Williams—that proves his downfall. When the hysteria begins, he tries to save his wife, yet hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he worries that his secret will be revealed and his good name ruined. Caged by guilt, Proctor journeys to regain his self-respect & redemption.
Abigail Williams – (19) Reverend Parris’s niece. Abigail was once the servant for the Proctor household, but Elizabeth Proctor fired her after she discovered that Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John Proctor. Abigail is smart, wily, vengeful, selfish, manipulative, vindictive, and a magnificent liar.
Elizabeth Proctor - (30s – 40s) John Proctor’s wife. Elizabeth fired Abigail when she discovered that her husband was having an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth is supremely virtuous, good, moral, and upright, but often cold. She will never lie, but when called to tell the truth in court she ends up damning her husband.
Reverend John Hale - (35 – 45) A neighboring minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Hale is a committed Christian and experienced witch-hunter. 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. He ends up a broken, cynical man.
Mary Warren - (18) The new 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, who tries unsuccessfully to expose the hoax of witchcraft. She is a weak girl who gets in way over her head with what’s going on around her.
Reverend Parris - (40s) The minister of Salem’s church. Reverend Parris is a paranoid, power-hungry, yet oddly self-pitying figure. He is a greedy, spineless, wormy little character. Many of the townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with maintaining his position in the community.
Tituba - (30s – 50s) Reverend Parris’ black slave from Barbados. Tituba agrees to perform voodoo at Abigail’s request and is caught up in the hysteria.
Deputy Governor Danforth - (60s) The ‘head honcho’ of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at all the witch trials. Honest, scrupulous and fair-minded. Danforth is convinced that he is being guided by God and doing right in rooting out witchcraft.
Judge Hathorne - (40s – 50s) A judge who presides, along with Danforth, over the witch trials. Second in command, in need of better people skills.
Giles Corey - (81) An elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits. Giles' wife, Martha, is accused of witchcraft, and his attempts to defend her back-fires. He is held in contempt of court and stands mute, so as not to subject any others to arrest.
Martha Corey - (72) Giles Corey’s third wife. Martha’s reading habits lead to her arrest and conviction for witchcraft.
Rebecca Nurse - (71) Francis Nurse’s wife. Rebecca is a wise, sensible, and upright woman, held in tremendous regard as a pillar of the Salem community. However, she falls victim to the hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess, even though it means going to her death.
Francis Nurse - (74) 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. He is a good man and a good husband who has the courage to stand up to the court to try and save his wife, Rebecca.
Thomas Putnam - (50) A wealthy, influential citizen of Salem, he is greedy, selfish & petty. Putnam uses his daughter to accuse people of witchcraft whose property he covets, and once condemned, buys up their land and thus increases his own wealth.
Ann Putnam - (45) Thomas Putnam’s wife, she is sad and angry. 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.
Ruth Putnam - (15) The Putnam’s’ lone surviving child out of eight. Like Betty Parris, Ruth falls into a strange stupor after Reverend Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the woods at night.
Betty Parris - (10) Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter. Betty falls into a strange stupor 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.
Mercy Lewis – (18) Servant to the Putnams. One of the girls in Abigail’s group. She joins in condemning various villagers as witches.
Susanna Walcott – (15) Another one of the girls in Abigail’s group.
Ezekiel Cheever - (any age) The town tailor who acts as clerk of the court during the witch trials. He is upright, obedient and determined to do his duty for justice.
Marshal Herrick, Marshal Willard & Deputy Hopkins - (any ages) Just average guys doing their jobs in Salem. Unfortunately they aid & abet the execution of innocent victims. (These three actors will be Assistant Stage Managers)
Sarah Good – (58) A mentally unstable homeless lady of Salem, accused of witchcraft by Abigail.
The older characters can have English, Irish, or Scottish accents, as they may have been born & raised in those countries.
Everyone in the show will assist with set and prop changes as needed.
For more information about Kentwood Players including our current production and upcoming auditions, please visit the Kentwood Players website at
www.kentwoodplayers.org. You can also find Kentwood Players information on Facebook and Twitter.
To meet the THE CRUCIBLE production team and learn more about Kentwood Players and what goes on at the Westchester Playhouse, the public is invited to attend our membership meetings, which are free and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located two blocks west of the San Diego Freeway and two blocks north ofManchester at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045.
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