It’s 1692, and the whispers of witches among the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts, are causing an uproar in the community. 

Archer’s upcoming spring play, “The Crucible”, written by Arthur Miller, tells the story of a group of young girls who accuse members of the community of witchcraft resulting in harsh punishments, such as death.

The play was recently featured on Broadway and was comprised of an all-star cast, including Oscar-nominated actress, Saoirse Ronan. According to PlayBill, on the closing week, the play grossed $613,097.90. 

Now being brought to life by Archer students, Carly Feldman ‘17, assistant director, described the play as being “a good fit for Archer girls.”

“It was recently on Broadway, and they modernized it and made it take place in a girls school. We are going to take that twist as well, so there are a lot of young female characters that drive the plot, which you don’t really see in a lot of straight theater plays,” Feldman ’17 said.

“The Crucible” allows Archer girls to explore a challenging drama, and the play itself also comments on the current political climate.

“There is a lot of emotional baggage that is attached to The Crucible. It’s not the kind of play where you can chat backstage, or play a game and then go on,” actress Livia Blum ’19 said. “It’s really a lot about going inside of yourself and doing a lot of background work on who your character is.”

Feldman made a connection between “The Crucible” and the current political climate.

“[The Crucible has] a lot of relevance to the current political climate and the idea of a witch hunt driving people out of a community,” Feldman said, “and that sort of thing really rings true to the current political climate so I am really excited to be working on it.”