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Notes from the Assistant Director

2023 marks 70 years since Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible. Long a staple of English classes and high school drama productions such as this, if there's one thing that everyone knows it's that Miller wrote The Crucible as an allegory for McCarthyism. If you need a refresher on McCarthism, here's the Cliff Notes version: Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy held public hearings investigating supposed communists in the Army and State Department. 

McCarthy passed away just a few years after The Crucible debuted, his reputation stained after being censured by his peers in the senate. But like The Crucible, McCarthy's legacy lives on in politics, shifting to new enemies that we are to believe are as powerful and scary as the witches of Salem and the communists of Moscow. There's nothing like a good witch hunt (or accusations of one) to rile up voters. 

Whenever I'm working on a creative project, I tend to have a soundtrack running through my head. Sometimes the connections might not work for anyone but me, but I promise it all makes sense in my head! For The Crucible, I largely focused on women singers, but not entirely. Included below are the songs that were running through my head for the last few months. The QR code will take you to a Spotify playlist in case you want to carry on the spirit of The Crucible after the show. 

"I Put a Spell on You" - Annie Lennox (originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins)

"Dream Girl Evil" - Florence + The Machine

"Season of the Witch - Lana Del Rey (originally by Donovon)

"The Eye" - Brandi Carlile

"Cities in Dust" - Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" - The Avett Brothers

"Heads Will Roll" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" - Evelyn Evelyn (originally by Joy Division)

"Seven Wonders" - Fleetwood Mac

"Lovesong" - Adele (originally by The Cure)