Cancel Culture Meets Salem in SNAPA’s 'The Crucible'
Arthur Miller’s classic shows how mob rule never goes out of style
(Post sponsored by Tinsley Title, Holt Wrecker, R&R lawn specialists, Gibson Pharmacy.)
“We are only what we always were, but naked now.”
John Proctor's line to end Act II of "The Crucible" hits as hard today as it did when Arthur Miller wrote it in 1953. Back then, Miller was using the Salem witch hunts to highlight the viral fear and lies of the McCarthy era.
Now, we cancel our witches on social media.
The folks at Stage Notes Academy of Performing Arts (SNAPA) are stretching their serious acting chops the next two weekends with Miller's classic, delving into a world where yelling a lie loud enough and long enough can destroy reputations and lives.
Sound familiar?
SNAPA delivers an intense production with a cast of 21. Holden Guinn stands out as John Proctor, carrying the emotional center of the play. You can feel his frustration at a world that refuses to see through obvious lies. Sariah Holmes and Chandler Hinojoza, both familiar for their musical and comic roles, prove their versatility as Abigail Williams and the Rev. John Hale, representing the evil itself and the good that allows it to flourish.
Minimal staging keeps the focus on the tension created by the cast from the first moments. The result is a show as charged and unsettling as life judged by viral video.
If a steady diet of Reels and TikTok videos feels like the disease, then "The Crucible" is the cure. Check out SNAPA's production and remember what it is to be human and naked.
"The Crucible" is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 5, 6, 12, and 13, and 3 p.m. Sept. 7 and 14 at 224 N. Prairieville St. in Athens. Tickets are available online here.
The production contains adult themes and parental guidance is recommended.
CAST
Holden Guinn as John Proctor
Elizabeth VanOrden as Elizabeth Proctor
Sariah Holmes as Abigail Williams
Trevor Baumgartner as Deputy Governor Danforth
Daniel Holmes as Reverend Samuel Parris
Vera Worthy as Betty Parris
Caitlynn Vanzandt as Tituba
Evelyn McCormick as Susanna Walcott
Samantha Fenwick as Mrs Ann Putnam
John Smith as Thomas Putnam
Kylie Underhill as Mercy Lewis
Allie Chapman as Mary Warren
Nikki DuBose as Rebecca Nurse
Anita Joblin as Giles Corey
Chandler Hinojoza as Reverend John Hale
Chet Healey as Francis Nurse
E Robb as Ezekiel Cheever
Ethan Lodato as John Willard
Scott Peebles as Judge Hathorne
Vanessa Onyskow-Lang as Sarah Good
Kaitlyn Randall as Martha Corey