Salem. Witches. Historical fiction. The Crucible. No, this isn’t Ms. Wall’s sophomore English class, it’s SHS drama. The drama club has been preparing The Crucible since December to perform at the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s festival in March.

Many students remember the musicals that the drama club puts on, but may overlook the significance of festival and the one-act show. Festival is the premier event of the drama year. It is the prom of student government, the MASC of student council, the homecoming game of the football season. Each year, over 100 schools submit one act plays and perform them for the other schools that compete. There are several rounds to the festival competition-preliminary, semi-final, and state. Not only is acting judged but technical design is regarded as well. There are many restrictions to the play, including very serious time constraints. Each school has only five minutes to put up the set and five to take it apart, and only 40 minutes to perform. Schools that do not fit into these time constraints are immediately disqualified. Two schools who win at the state level go on to compete against other New England schools.

The drama club will be performing at festival on March 2nd at Norwell High School against seven other schools- Nauset, Taunton, Hingham, Braintree, Norwell, St. Mary’s, and Boston Latin. Of the seven schools, three will move on to the semi-final round. Each of these schools Scituate is competing against have strong records of moving on, whereas Scituate has not moved since 2009.

SHS’ performance this year of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts Bay in 1692. The play is an allegory for McCarthyism, or the fear of Communism, that was prevalent when Miller wrote the play in 1953. Due to festival restrictions, SHS is only producing Act 3, the courtroom scene, the most dramatic and iconic scene in the The Crucible. Jack Duff and Aisling Sheehan play two of the lead roles, John Proctor and Mary Warren.

As assistant director and 8th grade English Teacher at Gates Mrs. Hall said, “it’s been terrific watching ‘The Crucible’ actors grow into their roles.  In particular, I’m observing how students take direction from director Mrs. Rafferty and bring an exciting and intense dimension to their characters.  It’s almost like watching a character take shape in a story.  Every time we have a rehearsal, the characters become more dynamic and bold in their portrayal. For example, last week, Mrs. Rafferty experimented with one of Abigail’s big moments, and the results just took my breath away.  Ariel Dickerman, who plays Abigail, changed the way she physically delivers a line, and we all sat there mesmerized. Even Mrs. Rafferty looked stunned!”

The Crucible is very different from the musical SHS Drama put on earlier this year, Once Upon A Mattress. Hall said, “Comparing our fall musical, ‘Once Upon a Mattress,’ to ‘The Crucible’ is like comparing apples to pomegranates. ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ is fun and fruity, while ‘The Crucible’ is complicated and deeply acidic.  In other words, we’re talking about two completely different experiences for our student actors.”

The METG also gives awards based on excellence in the plays technical skills. This year, SHS Drama is trying out some new ideas to increase their chances of proceeding to the next round. Senior tech member Audrey Hoffman said, “We’re adding a multi-media element to the festival play to help enhance the intensity and dark mood that the play offers to the audience.”

With Once Upon a Mattress, the set could take the shape that the club decided, as it was portraying a fictional location, but since The Crucible is based on a real place and time in the past, it is very important for the set and costumes to maintain historical accuracy. Cast members will be sporting period-appropriate costumes, including antiquated clothing articles such as bonnets and floor length skirts. Not only have the actors been working hard every day to perfect their lines, but the tech crew is also committed to creating a perfect scene.

“I really hope SHS students and teachers turn out to support the students who have been involved in ‘The Crucible,’ because they are in for quite a treat,” said Hall. The public performance of the festival play will be on February 28th at 7:00 pm in the SHS auditorium. Supporters are also welcome to attend the festival and cheer on our SHS performers.