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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ University Theatre will stage "The Crucible," a drama about the Puritan purge of witchcraft in old Salem during 1692, Friday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 5, in Williams Theatre at the Gilmore Theatre Complex on Main Campus.

Arthur Miller wrote "The Crucible" in response to the communist panic of the 1950s—McCarthyism and the Red Scare. Modern forms of rumor, persecution, hysteria and fear are reflected in its telling today.

'The Crucible'

This Tony Award-winning drama is both a gripping, historical play and a timely parable for contemporary society. The story focuses on a young farmer, his wife and a young servant girl who maliciously causes the wife's arrest for witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie—it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry, deceit and paranoia is terrifyingly depicted. It is a paranoia that can drive a wedge between neighbors and through healthy communities.

In a 1996 essay, Miller wrote, "I am not sure what 'The Crucible' is telling people now, but I know that its paranoid center is still pumping out the same darkly attractive warning that it did in the '50s."

Returning guest director Jim Daniels says that the play "moves like a freight train and is unrelenting in its emotional journey" and that it "now stands alone as a metaphor for any event where the participants are faced with the need to lie in order to survive, and the corrupting power that those lies have on our very souls."

Audiences will be able to draw connections for themselves—perhaps reflect on the consequences of being led by fear, motivated by greed and persecuting the most vulnerable among us.

Performances

• Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27-28, 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 2-4, 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 5, 2 p.m.

Tickets

Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 for seniors and WMU faculty and staff, $10 for students, and $6 for WMU students. They are available at wmich.edu/theatre, by calling (269) 387-6222, or by visiting the Gilmore Theatre box office between noon and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Miller Auditorium box office also sells tickets to University Theatre productions.

For the full 2017-18 University Theatre season lineup, visit wmich.edu/theatre.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.