Bartlett High School actors in Puritan garb took to the stage of the Panther Playhouse March 2-4. They were acting out a community’s rising suspicions and long-held grudges that caught fire in 1692’s Salem, Mass. In their performance of Arthur Miller’s 1963 classic play, “The Crucible,” they showed how the line can blur between truth and pretense and how dangerous a frightened and uninformed citizenry can be. The turmoil and hysteria of Salem’s resulting witch trials upends the insular community.
Kevin Rogers, the play’s director and the theater/forensics teacher at Bartlett High, commented Monday on the successful performances.
“Ultimately, I’m very pleased with the production and glad that we were able to share this timeless and important work with people,” Rogers said. “It took a group of over 40 students to put on this production and they all worked incredibly hard for eight weeks, and their hard work paid off and they really put on a stellar show. We’re definitely looking forward to continuing to provide quality productions for the Bartlett High community and the City of Bartlett as a whole.”
The production starred Noah Jobbins (John Proctor), Julia Byrd (Abigail Williams) and Elena Schauwecker (Elizabeth Proctor).
The cast also included Josh Morrow (the Rev. Samuel Parris), Isabella Cleveland (Betty Parris), Frances Gabrielle Bartolome (Tituba), James Chapman (Thomas Putnam), Georgia Oels (Ann Putnam), Solomon Stafford (the Rev. John Hale), MyKenzi Young (Rebecca Nurse), Lydia Girard (Mary Warren), Aubrey Hayes (Deputy Governor Danforth), Joe Kusmierz (John Hathorne), Skyler Winton (Giles Corey), Heather Gill (Mercy Lewis), Emily Bush (Susanna Walcott), McKenna Fleshman (Sarah Good), Sammy Ray (Francis Nurse), Dean Franks (Ezekiel Cheever), Trent Wicker (John Willard), Kaelin Mitchell (Martha Corey) and Jordan Jones (Esther Hamilton).
The production was directed by Rogers with assistant director Chris Steele, technical director Terri Weaver and student assistant director Ashlyn Perry.
The crew included Esther Sutton, stage manager; James Boyd and Savannah McGruder, assistant stage managers; Dean Franks and Kevin Rogers, scenic designers; Kevin Rogers, lighting designer; Kaylee Cooper and Grace Karanja, costume crew; Jack Powell, Alex Sossaman and Dahja Sangster, props crew; Megan Harrell, Alayna McCarthy, Samara Salsbury, Bianca Cain, Ignacio Oviedo and Michaela Parker, hair and makeup; and Maya McCann, Sun-Mi Ko and Tyler Nguyen, running crew.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138, bartlett.editor@journalinc.com or carolyn.bahm@journalinc.com.
I went to see my favorite young actress, Isabella Cleveland played Betty Parris, in the re-enactment of the Salem witch trials. A very serious play and so very well performed by all the young students at Bartlett High School. It is so refreshing to see our younger generation strive to accomplish their dreams and ambitions. Not to mention the joy they give to their audience! You guys deserve a standing ovation!