Peponi School's drama team thrilled their audience last Friday night with their unique approach to Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Published in 1953, the play is centered on the events leading up to the 1692 witch hunt trials in the Salem, a puritan town in Massachusetts, New England. The inciting incident occurs when the notorious ringleader Abigail Williams (Amara Pannu) leads her peers to a dance in the forest with a black slave named Tituba. Unknown to the girls, Tituba has the ability to communicate with the devil. The play opens with the character Tituba (Miranda Kansiime), as she dares the audience to admit that they want to be killed while laughing ominously. It's a tense moment as Tituba exudes a devilish demeanor, moving from the auditorium towards the dimly lit upstage.
The spooky moment grabs the audience's concentration as Miranda's performance leaves them in between scared and entertained. While enjoying the dance in the forest, the girls are busted by a local church minister, Reverend Parris (played by Ruby Wakaba) and they scamper away. A few days later, Betty (played by Gabrielle Musau), one of the girls who is Reverend Parris daughter and Abigail's niece falls into a coma-like state. Panic fills the town as rumors spread that Betty has been bewitched by the devil. A crowd forms in Reverend Parris' house to confirm the rumors. Parris sends for Reverend Hale(Yara Mballa), an expert in exorcism to come assess Betty's situation. At the same time, Thomas Putnam(Krista Kwagala/Danielle Kavuma) urges Parris to calm down as he believes Betty will be alright. Immediately, Betty regains consciousness briefly and she starts crying, blaming Abigail that it was her idea that the girls go dancing in the forest. Abigail denies these allegations and talks to the other girls urging them not to admin about the dance in the forest. Reverend Hale arrives and after examining Betty, he questions Abigail about their activities in the forest amid suspicion. Abigail mentions Tituba, and immediately, Rev. Hale quizzes Tituba who admits that she communes with the devil. The crowd is thrown into mass hysteria when Tituba reveals that various Salem residents have been consorting with the devil. Abigail also adds that townspeople have conspired with the devil. The scene culminates into an uproar as panic, fear and anger overwhelms the crowd. In the other scene, an illicit affair between John Proctor (Zachary Hutchinson/John Barigo), a local farmer, and Abigail is revealed. Proctor cheated on his wife Elizabeth (Yara Vohora) with their maidservant Abigail a year go.
Rumors of Betty's sickness continue spreading when Mary Warren(Katy Anderson/Amelie Busingye) arrives at Proctor's house. Mary informs everyone that Betty's ailment came from a devil's spell. However, she is not ready to testify this. Moments later, Pastor Hale also arrives at Proctor's house to tell them that his wife Elizabeth has also been mentioned as one of the people conspiring with the devil. The final scene is at the courtroom, where the knowledgeable and witty Judge Danforth conducts the trials of everyone who has been accused of cavorting with the devil. Judge Danforth orders for the girls to be brought to testify. Proctor also tells Mary to testify as he believes he she knows much about Betty's sickness after the girls' encounter with the devil in the forest. While confessing Mary's spirit afflicts the girls (Talitha Rwego, Michelle Sigei, Diya Manji, Zara Bahji). They all start feeling a strange cold sensation in their bodies and begin mimicking every word Mary utters. The elders in the court get puzzled for a bit. Abigail admits that she thinks she fairy saw the devil in the forest. Proctor seizes the opportunity to admit in front of the court that he had an affair with Abigail. He also reveals his agnostic philosophy when he says God is dead, insinuating that the devil's rule. Judge Danforth sentences Proctor to death by hanging and the play ends when Proctor is escorted to the gallows.
Speaking about her experience working with the young cast in The Crucible, the director Sabina Oketch who also the teacher of Drama and English at Peopni school said that
the play seemed like a heavy content to the girls and boys. However, Sabina says she was amazed by how the team were committed to performing the piece. "Seeing even a 13 year old girl play her role seamlessly was such a fulfilling moment." Oketch said that she contemplated editing the script to accommodate the cast that is very young. However, the students assured her that they were capable of performing The Crucible the way it is, and indeed, they delivered greatly.
The highlight of the night was the jinxing moment by Tituba as performed by Miranda. Nesa Kochhar truly reflected the rigidity and strict adherence to the law as Judge Danforth in the play. The cast was largely comprised of female actors, with some of them performing as male characters. Another impressive aspect of the production was the set design which was minimalistic but very ideal, thanks to Betty Wakhu the production designer. The costumes added to the play's aesthetics and the theme. Lighting designers led by Millie Raffman did a great job as every scene was lit appropriately and in accordance with the mood of the moment. However, there were a lot of hitches with the sound. The lapel mics kept ruffling against the performer's costumes and the public address sound system could be unclear intermittently. Overall, it was a great production, that not only entertained but also left the audience thinking about the dangers of capitalism, role of religion in shaping people's opinions and how fake news can cause mass hysteria and societal damage. The MC of the night cracked up the audience when he pointed that he wonders how fast the rumors about witch hunts would spread today with the existence of the WhatsApp groups.
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