Scenic Design for The Crucible,
by Arthur Miller
Directed by Kevin Gardner
Plymouth State University
Hanaway Theatre • Fall 2002
Kizer, Matt. Matt Kizer Scenic and Lighting Design. n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014
This website shows stage designer Matt Kizer’s set for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, performed at Plymouth State University, Hanaway Theatre in 2002. Kizer states that The Crucible is essentially about “fear of the unknown, fear of the New World, and fear of the Devil”, which he condenses into “Fear of the Forest”. The “Forest” signifies the mysterious and sinister nature of the unknown to the people of Salem, especially about witchcraft, as they do not know who might be a witch and when the witch’s powers may come over them. Thus the “wall of New England aspen trees, in silhouette” which forms the permanent backdrop to the performance reflects the constant fear that Salemites live in, forever in the looming black shadow of the unknown. The relatively simplistic set design also highlights Salemites’ stricter and simpler lifestyle. There is little furniture in any scene, save chairs and tables and beds, and always in the background, reflecting the Puritan Salemites’ very simple lifestyle, bereft of entertainment of any sort. This is in line with the Puritan idea that forms of entertainment such as drama, religious music, and erotic poetry are to be forbidden. This positioning also makes the stage look barer, highlighting the distance between Salemites during the hysteria. Scene changes were also made by having the “actors [move] furniture into new configurations”, which implies that furniture was constantly re-used, in turn showing that Salemites generally used relatively basic carpentry, a testament to their seemingly drab lifestyle.
For Act One, only the rear-projection screens near the bottom of the background wall had the image of windows cast on them, notifying the audience that the Act was taking place on a higher level of a house, namely Betty Parris’ bedroom. the only furnishings are a bed (on which Betty sleeps), a few chairs and stools and a small table, all nowhere near downstage. This creates a desolate feeling, both in terms of the general lifestyle, but also in terms of how Parris is feeling at his daughter’s ailment. The desolation also adds to Parris’ fear of witchcraft in his parish which is revealed to the audience.
For Act Two, the background shows two windows, a door, and a fireplace. On the stage, a table and stools are placed at stage left while another smaller table and a single stool are at stage right. In between there is a large empty space. This space between the two groups of furniture shows the distance between John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth, and again serves to convey a desolate air in the house, which stems from the frosty relationship between Proctor, a cheat, and his wife who found out. Also, there is a fireplace close to stage left, where majority of the furniture is. At stage left, close to the solitary table and stool is are the door and windows. There is thus a contrast between the two halves of the stage. The left is warmer and homelier, but the right is colder and more distant. This allows the audience to feel more at ease when the characters are speaking at stage left, but they will feel more distance when the characters are speaking at stage right. Also, when members of the court enter through the door to declare their arrest of Elizabeth Proctor, the figurative “shiver” as the news is delivered can be felt more acutely on that side of the stage, being setting-wise made to appear colder and closer to the shadows of the outside world.
For Act Three, four large windows are displayed, each showing bare tree branches. Upstage centre is the judge’s chair, and additional seats are on either side, showing the courtroom scene. The silhouettes of bare branches outside adds even more desolation to the whole act, but more importantly it introduces the very real possibility of mortality. Those found guilty of witchcraft in the court will be hanged. The windows are also lit a fiery orange, almost like the fires of hell, making the already sinister “Forest” backdrop more sinister, foreboding that someone will be sentenced to death and showing the audience the tension in the courtroom.
For Act Four, a single window with vertical bars is shown high above stage right. At stage left is a door, which follows a staircase introduced into this scene. The backdrop is now completely black, save the orange light filtering in through the window and door. The utter blackness of the surroundings emphasises the bleakness of the situation of the prisoners to be hanged, and has a claustrophobic effect, emphasising the fear that grips the prisoners as they await their doom. The height of the window from the floor is also a parallel to a fall from grace or a loss of dignity (something which John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse have a lot of) within the community, making the feeling of desolation more acute. The same orange glow outside the window is like that of the fires of hell, showing that the prisoners are condemned to die. Yet, the fact that the prisoners must ascend the stairs to meet their fates also may symbolise redemption. The ascension of the staircase can imply a restoration of dignity, and can also be interpreted to be “stepping into God’s light”, that is, aforementioned redemption, if not by society then by God.
All in all, the set maintains a constant air of solemnity and desolation, but at various points discussed above the same set make take on double meanings, making the audience feel the desolation of the play and the other emotions that run through the Acts concurrently.
by Arthur Miller
Directed by Kevin Gardner
Plymouth State University
Hanaway Theatre • Fall 2002
Kizer, Matt. Matt Kizer Scenic and Lighting Design. n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014
This website shows stage designer Matt Kizer’s set for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, performed at Plymouth State University, Hanaway Theatre in 2002. Kizer states that The Crucible is essentially about “fear of the unknown, fear of the New World, and fear of the Devil”, which he condenses into “Fear of the Forest”. The “Forest” signifies the mysterious and sinister nature of the unknown to the people of Salem, especially about witchcraft, as they do not know who might be a witch and when the witch’s powers may come over them. Thus the “wall of New England aspen trees, in silhouette” which forms the permanent backdrop to the performance reflects the constant fear that Salemites live in, forever in the looming black shadow of the unknown. The relatively simplistic set design also highlights Salemites’ stricter and simpler lifestyle. There is little furniture in any scene, save chairs and tables and beds, and always in the background, reflecting the Puritan Salemites’ very simple lifestyle, bereft of entertainment of any sort. This is in line with the Puritan idea that forms of entertainment such as drama, religious music, and erotic poetry are to be forbidden. This positioning also makes the stage look barer, highlighting the distance between Salemites during the hysteria. Scene changes were also made by having the “actors [move] furniture into new configurations”, which implies that furniture was constantly re-used, in turn showing that Salemites generally used relatively basic carpentry, a testament to their seemingly drab lifestyle.
For Act One, only the rear-projection screens near the bottom of the background wall had the image of windows cast on them, notifying the audience that the Act was taking place on a higher level of a house, namely Betty Parris’ bedroom. the only furnishings are a bed (on which Betty sleeps), a few chairs and stools and a small table, all nowhere near downstage. This creates a desolate feeling, both in terms of the general lifestyle, but also in terms of how Parris is feeling at his daughter’s ailment. The desolation also adds to Parris’ fear of witchcraft in his parish which is revealed to the audience.
For Act Two, the background shows two windows, a door, and a fireplace. On the stage, a table and stools are placed at stage left while another smaller table and a single stool are at stage right. In between there is a large empty space. This space between the two groups of furniture shows the distance between John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth, and again serves to convey a desolate air in the house, which stems from the frosty relationship between Proctor, a cheat, and his wife who found out. Also, there is a fireplace close to stage left, where majority of the furniture is. At stage left, close to the solitary table and stool is are the door and windows. There is thus a contrast between the two halves of the stage. The left is warmer and homelier, but the right is colder and more distant. This allows the audience to feel more at ease when the characters are speaking at stage left, but they will feel more distance when the characters are speaking at stage right. Also, when members of the court enter through the door to declare their arrest of Elizabeth Proctor, the figurative “shiver” as the news is delivered can be felt more acutely on that side of the stage, being setting-wise made to appear colder and closer to the shadows of the outside world.
For Act Three, four large windows are displayed, each showing bare tree branches. Upstage centre is the judge’s chair, and additional seats are on either side, showing the courtroom scene. The silhouettes of bare branches outside adds even more desolation to the whole act, but more importantly it introduces the very real possibility of mortality. Those found guilty of witchcraft in the court will be hanged. The windows are also lit a fiery orange, almost like the fires of hell, making the already sinister “Forest” backdrop more sinister, foreboding that someone will be sentenced to death and showing the audience the tension in the courtroom.
For Act Four, a single window with vertical bars is shown high above stage right. At stage left is a door, which follows a staircase introduced into this scene. The backdrop is now completely black, save the orange light filtering in through the window and door. The utter blackness of the surroundings emphasises the bleakness of the situation of the prisoners to be hanged, and has a claustrophobic effect, emphasising the fear that grips the prisoners as they await their doom. The height of the window from the floor is also a parallel to a fall from grace or a loss of dignity (something which John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse have a lot of) within the community, making the feeling of desolation more acute. The same orange glow outside the window is like that of the fires of hell, showing that the prisoners are condemned to die. Yet, the fact that the prisoners must ascend the stairs to meet their fates also may symbolise redemption. The ascension of the staircase can imply a restoration of dignity, and can also be interpreted to be “stepping into God’s light”, that is, aforementioned redemption, if not by society then by God.
All in all, the set maintains a constant air of solemnity and desolation, but at various points discussed above the same set make take on double meanings, making the audience feel the desolation of the play and the other emotions that run through the Acts concurrently.
Directed by John Moletress
Tri-County Performing Arts Center
March, 2011
The play was directed by John Moletress. The set was done by Kevin Jordan and it was “elegantly convincing” in bringing across the isolation of a rural colonial society. The play was injected with a hefty dose of modernity with Moletress’ creative use of set design, lighting and popular music more often seen in experimental dance shows than local productions of classic plays.
Stage:
The Crucible is often staged in the round. However, for Moletress’ production, the seats in Tri-County’s flexible space are arranged in three symmetrical rows on either side of a long central stage.
Though viewing can be neck-straining, the en face seating draws the audience strongly into the play. Being able to see and meet the eyes of fellow viewer across the stage heightens the sense of the public nature of the performance. The viewers are entreated to join in the condemnation of the so-called witches, together with the townsfolk of Salem.
In addition, chicken wire barriers have been erected across the length of both sides of the stage. Some reviewers found this physical obstruction a “distraction and a visual inconvenience”, but it can be effective. In the final scenes, several “witches” are enclosed in wire cages. This forces a sense of empathy as both the audience and accused are similarly trapped. The wire cage may also symbolized the close-mindedness and insularity of the Salem community. Finally, it also serves to increase the sense of helplessness and impotence of the audience as they view the unfolding tragedy.
Lighting:
The production is also spiced up by a “varied” lighting scheme. Courtroom scenes are lit by overhead neon lights, casting judges and the judge under a harsh glare. For the dawn scene before John Proctor execution, orange-tinted spotlights provide scant illumination, adding an “eerie depth to the scene”.
Sound:
The music choices, too, contemporize the play, with strains of Radiohead, Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt,” and other modern songs caressing the action. The soundtrack is most effective when a character mimes a screeching Siouxsie and the Banshees song, “Eve White/Eve Black,” pleading “Get me out of here, I belong out there,” in the production’s frantic climax.
The Crucible (Theatrical Play), 2004
Directed by Michael Pilgreen, (Hilton Head, SC)
Costumes: Dana Gottfried and Linda Behling
Starring: Cody O'Malley, Alicia Torres, Simone Robinson, Allison Kinnie, Mallory Meyer, Cora Loxton, Alec Bishop, Grace Ann Metropolis, Sarah-Saidee Kelley, Tim Rindler, Lindsay Pellerin; Stephen Metropolis, Chris Stangroom, Jessie Pittrizzi, Joseph Seguin, David Clare, Scott Gleason, Owens Warren, Max Saunders, Elizabeth Smith, and Richard Schultz.
Stage:
The production seemed to be a more modest scale and the stage was small and intimate. The audience was on the same level and very close to the actors - the front row was within an arm's length of the actors. This drew the audience strongly into the play, strengthening the illusion that they were invisible observers viewing the events in the town of Salem. As the tragedy unfolded, the sense of pathos experienced by the audience was magnified by their closeness and powerlessness to intervene. The colours used were generally drab and dull-brown, black, dark-red and some white. This brought out the dourness of the Puritans. Wood was heavily used from the furniture to the walls to the flooring, in order to fit the rustic setting. The overall effect was faithful to Miller's "air of clean spareness", conveying the austerity of Puritan culture. Unlike many other productions, the looming trees were not shown in the background. Instead, the stage was enclosed by wooden walls, creating a claustrophobic effect, and it is partly against the suffocating nature of their society that causes many in the township to began to rebel.
As the stage was small, many of its elements had to be re-used. For example, a platform on the stage served as the wall of the Proctor's household and also as the bench of the judges. It thus created a sense of the public space overlooking and judging the private space, individual rights being trumped by societal might.
Lighting:
The lighting was generally kept dim. For the night scene, orange light is used to illuminate the stage as the people of the time only had candle-light. In the pivotal scene where Mary Warren denounces John Proctor, lighting is used to dramatic effect. One side of the stage where the hysterical girls are standing is cast with a reddish glow, while the other side where John Proctor and the other men are is sunk into a bluish gloom. The lighting evokes the battle between the forces of good and evil. A red seems like the colour of hell fire while the dull blue captures the hopelessness of the men’s cause. Mary Warren is initially lit in blue. She then crosses over to denounce John Proctor, and is now lit in red.
Sound:
Music is used in key moments to add dramatic tension, for example when Tituba is made to embrace God. In the execution scene, drums are used to create a sense of urgency. The beating of the drums calls to mind a lynching and evokes the mindlessness that Salem has devolved into.