This fall, don’t miss Chaminade Drama’s upcoming production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible–a raw, emotional drama revolving around the witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. This play tells the story of a village engrossed in a witch hunt, perpetuated by a group of young women led by Abigail Williams (Ariana Kroeger). Throughout the show, several people contest this mass hysteria—primarily John Proctor (Daniel Sansone), motivated by the prospect of saving his wife, Elizabeth Proctor (Charlotte Wheeler), after she has been accused of witchcraft. Also among these contesters is John Hale (Cory Burke), a Puritan pastor and newcomer to Salem, who doubts the credibility of the girls and criticizes the proceedings of the court. The tension in the town is palpable, with even the most reputable fearing that they may be condemned as a witch and sentenced to death by Judges Danforth (Jack Shadden) and Hathorne (Liam Billhartz). For Chaminade’s take on The Crucible, the director—Mr. Rob Grumich—has chosen to focus on eliciting striking and gut-wrenching performances from the actors, resulting in a phenomenal drama that is sure to entice audience members and keep them on the edge of their seats.

To provide a brief preview of the show, I asked Ovya Diwakaran (Ladue Horton Watkins High School, ‘24) to answer a few questions about her experience in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible so far. Speaking on her role, Ovya said, “I play Susanna Walcott, one of Abigail’s friends who was there on the night of witchcraft in the woods. She’s a smaller character who appears in the beginning and a couple scenes later on.” When asked her favorite moment in the play, she chose ”the prologue because the choreography is really fun and it’s interesting to see the progression of witchcraft through the girls’ dance.” As for her experience as a cast member of The Crucible, Ovya said: “It’s been really amazing. Although I have a smaller role, I really feel like part of the Chaminade drama community. Everyone is sweet and helpful all the time, and it’s generally just been a really nice exposure to a play with some heavy topics.” For the conclusion of this interview, Ovya gave an explanation of why people should come see this show: “First of all, The Crucible is one of the most distinct plays in drama history, so it’s definitely worth seeing just for that reason. The actors are phenomenal, and especially seeing high schoolers portray these heavy and complicated characters is really impressive. And you can’t forget the on-stage seating, which adds to the overall audience experience.”

The Crucible will be performed on October 6th, 8th, and 9th in the Siefert Auditorium in the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts. General admission tickets are now available online, starting at $5 for students and $12 for adults. Chaminade students are granted free admission, but tickets must still be purchased online to reserve seating. In addition to general admission seating, limited onstage seating will also be available on a first come, first served basis, offering select audience members an exclusive opportunity to see the actors perform up-close. No tickets will be sold at the performance, so make sure to purchase tickets at the site online!