When the story of the Salem Witch Trials is chosen by an 8th grader for her history project, we get a rendition of what she thinks really happened. A once tragic tale becomes one of comedy and humor. And we owe it all to our narrator, Jenny Anne Bishop.
The play takes place in Salem 1692. Well, the characters of the puritan town are in 1692, Jenny Anne is telling us the story in present day. The people of Salem become part of her diorama to bring her project to life. Faith Ford takes on the role of Jenny Anne to give us this story. “What I like about the show is that it’s a fun take on not so fun events.” Jenny Anne brings us a character from our world and into the historical world. What was a tragedy to many people becomes a funny story that people of all ages can enjoy.
The iconic character of Revered Paris is brought to us by senior Rugor Aden. “This character is one of the most selfish characters you will ever meet.” Aden Says. “The things I like most about the show is experiencing the villainous side of a character” Reverend Parris is definitely one of the couple villains of the story. He believes he’s helping the church but in reality he’s only using them for his own selfish gain. “I’ve never been the bad guy in a play before. The closest I’ve gotten to was an angsty teenage boy with anger issues.” It truly takes a good actor to be able to play a villainous character.
“My character is THE witch of Salem, Bella’Loch. She is new to town with her “husband” Xanatar, and neither wants to get caught for being Witches, but they aren’t doing anything to stop it. I like to think of her as the brains of the duo,” senior Lauren Watson said. She portrays the iconic witch and the glamorous villain. Watson spent a lot of time preparing for her role to make the character perfect. “I rewatched a lot of movies and shows that had witches in them. So Hocus Pocus, Wizard of Oz, Halloweentown, and even the Looney Tunes show to get into the cartoon/ exaggerated witch characters.” Throughout the rehearsal process, Watson had to keep in mind how to perfect the balance between comedic and realism in the character.
“Xanatar summoned a literal demon without breaking a sweat. But also, his outfit was just the coolest outfit I have ever worn on stage.” Senior Ryan McConachie tells us about the Wizard Xanatar. “I liked the idea of me and Lauren’s characters. An actual Witch and Wizard living among the people of Salem pretending to be normal villagers and being believed by everyone.” McConachie shares. “I really liked this show, though, I might have to say, I think the best part of the show in my opinion, is Xanatar.”
“The Magistrate was such a diverse character because he experienced so many different emotions (and he got a pretty sick death scene.)” Says Senior Robin Hubert who portrayed the Salem Magistrate. “To prepare, I did some research on all the judges I was portraying and tried to remember the plot of the Crucible from 10th grade English class. Overall, this show was so much fun and an amazing experience to be a part of.” Hubert tells us. Being a part of a huge cast gave Hubert an opportunity to work with a bunch of new people.
“We have a VERY large cast for this show, which at times can get crazy, but I really love the connections that we have together and I love being on stage with everyone.” Says Junior Paige Hamilton who played the notable character of Abigail Williams. “I really had to get into the mindset that I’m not playing an adult or someone my age. Abigail is 12, she thinks she knows everything and is kinda sassy. Just getting into the headspace before rehearsals and being able to tap into that.” This show brings to life a comedic version of the story everyone knows and loves. “I love this show, I think it’s super funny but still portrays the story very well.”
