LWC Players to Perform Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ Nov. 2, 3, 6

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- The Lindsey Wilson College Players will perform Arthur Miller's classic play The Crucible on Nov. 2-3 and Nov. 6. The production will be directed by LWC Assistant Professor of Theater Robert Brock.

In the years since the play made its debut on Broadway in 1952, Miller's The Crucible has been regarded as one of the more thoughtful, challenging and thought-provoking American plays.

Brock, who joined the LWC faculty after a successful career as a professional actor and artistic director of a regional repertory theater, said he selected The Crucible because of its "marvelous writing," underlying message and because of the size of the cast.

"I want to be able to involve as many people who are interested in being in a play, and I also want to keep it challenging for them," he said.

A total of 21 students have been cast in the Lindsey Wilson Players' upcoming production of the play.

"It has a lot of even roles. Most of the roles get a lot of stage time," Brock said. "In this play you've got to come out of your shell -- you really have to step out for a play like this. There are some profoundly emotional scenes in this play."

The play -- which is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in what was then the province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693 -- is an allegory to America's dark days of McCarthyism. But Brock points out that its themes can be related to any time when truth and logic take a back seat to hysteria and duplicity.

"The Crucible is a really challenging play. It's got a lot of meat to it," Brock said. "It's also current -- you can relate it to so many things. Arthur Miller was a great writer, and I like to do the work of great writers because they give you so much to work with. The scenes are so well-structured -- they rise to a climax at the end that have you hanging."

The Lindsey Wilson Players will perform Arthur Miller's The Crucible at 7 p.m. CT on Nov. 2-3 and at 2 p.m. CT on Nov. 6 in V.P. Henry Auditorium, 210 Lindsey Wilson St. The play is directed by LWC Assistant Professor of Theater Robert Brock. General admission tickets are $5. For more information: brockr@lindsey.edu or (270) 590-4803.