It all comes down to fear, says Chuck Tuttle.
Fear caused the stir that led to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, fear caused McCarthyism in the 1950s and fear has led to problems in recent years, he said.
“The Crucible,” the Arthur Miller drama based on events in the Salem Witch Trials but written in the 1950s as a response to McCarthyism, opens at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre tonight and continues with nine additional performances into July.
IF YOU GO* What: “The Crucible.”* When: 8 p.m. today, Saturday, June 25-26, July 9-10; 7 p.m. Thursday and July 8; 2:30 p.m. June 27 and July 11.* Where: MainStage, Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St.* Admission: $10-$20 (opening night $25, which includes reception).* Phone: 267-8534* Website: www.TheatreCentre.com.ADDED WITCHERYChattanooga Theatre Centre patrons may choose to add to their night of theater entertainment with the following:* Today: A 7 p.m. reception with hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages precedes the opening performance curtain.* Saturday: Free refreshments will be served after the show as patrons watch the Riverbend fireworks finale.* Thursday: The performance will be accompanied by real-time captioning provided by the Chattanooga chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America.* June 25: The directors and cast will engage in a talk-back with the audience after the show.* July 9: Girls Night Out will feature complimentary adult beverages and snacks.
“I think the reason (the play) has such a longevity is because it’s about every era,” he said. “It’s about letting fear grip the community. Fear envelopes (Salem), and it destroys the community.”
In 1692, 19 men and women and two dogs were convicted and hanged for witchcraft in the eastern Massachusetts town of Salem.
Miller, according to Tuttle, “takes historical (people), bends them around a bit and creates a more human side (to the play) with his characters.”
The CTC production displays elements of its 17th-century setting in its set of a colonial-style town hall or church but retains its timelessness with late 1950s-early 1960s costuming.
On the balcony of the two-story stage, Tuttle said, characters not in the present scene witness all that is going on below them, symbolizing the fact everybody seemed to know everybody else’s business in the small town.
The McCarthyism-era costuming lends “a universal sense to it” as does the nearly contemporary rock music employed at scene changes, he said.
“The Crucible,” Tuttle said, is a marathon for his 21-member cast not only because it’s a full-length production but because it’s intense from its very beginning.
“I tell them they have to eat their Wheaties and get their rest,” he said.
Fortunately, Tuttle said, he is blessed with an “embarrassingly talented cast” which is up for what is “a real acting challenge.”
“They’re dedicated to doing this stuff,” he said.
“The Crucible” contains PG-13 material, according to Tuttle.