Feature
December
1
VC Theatre Brings ‘Crucible’ to Stage
by Terry Trahan Jr.
Accusations and finger-pointing will fill a high school stage this weekend as teenage actors present their interpretation of a popular classic about witchcraft and the darkness that it brings.
A seasoned cast of about 25 students at Vandebilt Catholic High School will perform Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” at the Brother Alfred Kolb Center on the school’s campus in Houma. Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 2, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 3, and 2 p.m. Dec. 4. The students are all members of VC Theatre.
“‘The Crucible’ is read [at Vandebilt] in the 11th grade,” said Tami RocheLedet, director of the theater’s first play of the season. “The kids really like it. The mystique is there. Each character is both likable and hatable at the same time.”
That air of mystique can be attributed to the play’s unstable setting. The drama takes place in 17th-century Puritan society in Salem, Mass., a town known for suspicious activity involving spirits and witchcraft.
A group of teenage girls make their way into a forest with a slave. A minister discovers the girls, one of whom eventually falls into a coma-like state. The townspeople begin to question if a form of witchcraft is at work, and the rumors and accusations lead to an explosion of trials that seek to expose good and evil.
The community is left paralyzed by terror, religious extremism and greed. Caught in the middle of the trials are John Proctor, played by Alexande DeBlieux, a local farmer who has a hidden sin; Elizabeth Proctor, played by Abigail Yesso, wife of John; and Abigail Williams, played by Shea Hermann, a former servant of the Proctors. It turns out John had an affair with Abigail, a piece of information that further thickens the mysterious plot.
As the accused in Salem are put on trial and asked to confess, the finger-pointing continues as the townspeople blame each other for working with satanic influences. Greedy preachers enter the scene, while landowners also try to take advantage of the uncertainty. The situation evolves into a scene in which the innocent get hanged, those who refuse to name individuals are tortured and jailed, and those who admit guilt are freed.
“It’s not an easy play to do,” RocheLedet said. “They’re having to do some character-searching. They’re having to become someone they’re not.”
The student actors have been rehearsing the two-act drama for the past two months. RocheLedet said she expects audiences to become intrigued by the plot, especially those already familiar with the play.
Despite the dark subject matter, the director said the stage will be filled with color to create the mood for her interpretation of the play. Period props will decorate the stage, and costuming will be modern.
Considered to be one of Miller’s best works, “The Crucible” opened on Broadway in 1953, and its inherent battle of good versus evil has since been adapted to the silver screen and reworked by directors across the globe.
General admission tickets to the performances cost $8 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the school’s front office, 209 S. Hollywood Road, Houma, or at the door. For more information, call Tami RocheLedet at 985-876-2551.
