The National Theatre has revealed the full cast for its upcoming revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Seymour Matthews Mercy Lewis . Following extensions to the run due to popular demand, the play closed on 15 January 2023. Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. The Crucible is traditionally performed with English accents, because its set in Massachusetts in 1692, and the characters are mostly English immigrants or their children. Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women suddenly find their words have a terrible power. It doesnt need to be interpreted or taken in hand like, say, Hamlet. Still and all, this is a fine production with a mostly excellent cast and honestly the first time the monkey has been able to understand why it is regarded by so many as a modern classic. A live filming will be released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland from January 26th 2023 and internationally from March 2nd 2023. Paul Arditti is an associate at the National Theatre. The Arthur Miller play runs at the National in autumn 2022. A production from the National Theatre. Elizabeth Bradley Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet) directs this contemporary new staging. Cast From 14 September to 5 November 2022 This show has now ended Please note: This production contains strong language and themes which some may find distressing. Some actors have now left the cast. National Theatre Announces New Play By James Graham And A West End Transfer Of The Crucible, First Look: The Crucible at The National Theatre in Rehearsal, Full Cast Announced As Rehearsals Begin For The Crucible, National Theatre Live adds The Seagull, The Crucible and Othello to Winter Season for Cinema Broadcasts, National Theatre announces two new productions on the Southbank and a major nationwide tour, Review: Brilliant Jerks at Southwark Playhouse. 0844 482 5130, Previews from 7th June, opens 15th June 2023. 69, 49, 40, 30, 25, 20, Click here for information on tickets for schools, colleges and universities. Halle Brown trained at Arts Educational Schools where productions includedGentlemen Prefer Blondes,Bandstand,Crabs,Moulin RougeandA Grand Night for Singing. Whats coming up on our stages and beyond. Casting: Heidi Griffiths, C.S.A. The reopening of the Olivier theatre is generously supported by Aret Foundation / Betsy and Ed Cohen. An assured cast of over 25 navigates the plays thorny woods with great ease. As Proctor, a plodding (at the start) Cowell (pictured above with Rachelle Diedericks as Mary Warren)organically shifts gears as his character comes under greater attack. 78 min. National Theatre Live: The Crucible. The Department of Theatre Arts provides a comprehensive, rigorous, and innovative academic program consistent with the mission of NDSU. The Crucible at the National Theatre. The Crucibleis Cadence Williamsprofessionaltheatredebut. Registered Office: Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX, American Associates of the National Theatre. really greatdigs deep into the plays questions of human longing for justice., Turner has produced a Crucible for the ages., Millers Crucible burns bright once more., For the National Theatre:The CrucibleandHamlet, Fisayo Akinade trained at Central School of Speech and Drama, Ann Putnam / Sarah Good / Understudy Elizabeth Proctor, For the National:The Crucible,AntigoneandHer Naked Skin, Martha Corey/ Understudy Rebecca Nurse/ Sarah Good/ Ann Putnam. View our Privacy Policy. Registered Office: Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX, American Associates of the National Theatre. The monkey advises checking performance times on your tickets and that performances are happening as scheduled, before travelling. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. National Theatre, London Director Lyndsey Turner misses the. Theatres use "dynamic pricing." By the end, it is genuinely distressing to see the shell of himself that he has become. From Up Here. Lift. Bright lights are used during transitions. Oliver Cotton Betty Parris . As previously announced, Brendan Cowell will play John Proctor and Erin Doherty will play Abigail Williams. She was resident director onThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Timeon UK and Ireland tour (2022) and resident assistant director at the Donmar in 2019, assisting on productions includingTeenage Dick,[BLANK]andAppropriate. In any case, it would seem to back up the unexpected accents. Please note: Applications are now closed. Jessica Hung Han Yun for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican Theatre. Bright lights are used during transitions. She studied English Literature at the University of York before training in Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Art. Fisayo Akinades Reverend John Hale lacked discipline for the monkey. Monday 31 July 2023, 7pm, Saturday 22 July 2023, 2pm The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. National Theatre It's a testament to Arthur Miller's playwrighting craft that such a lengthy, talky play retains the power to grip. Caroline Shaw is a musician working in many genres and mediums. Fight director is Bret Young and Ita OBrien and Louise Kempton for intimacy on set. For performances listed below as Sold out please check back for possible returns. They are dressed in pink pinafores and look emphatically like children which makes their crying out all the more creepy. The Crucible: Directed by Yal Farber, Robert Delamere. Kempton trained in Acting at Rose Bruford College and later at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in both Movement and Performance Training. Osnat Schmool is co-founder of Filament Theatre Company. Nearly 70 years after on, The Crucible remains an object lesson in the perils of groupthink and mass hysteria, its tragedy buttressed by merciless intersections of the personal and the political. Director Lyndsey Turner's CV is full of impressive credits: as well as 2020's Under Milk Wood at the National Theatre, where she is an associate, there . The National Theatre's acclaimed new production of The Crucible transfers to the West . Funny Girl. Find out more about National Theatre Live. Joining them will be Eileen Walsh (Women on the Verge) as Elizabeth Proctor, Fisayo Akinade (Romeo and Juliet) as Reverend Hale, Karl Johnson (Under Milk Wood) as Giles Corey and Matthew Marsh (Dunkirk) as Danforth. Dohertys Abigail is legibly unhinged from the get-go; whenever put under pressure, she remains quick to seize the upper hand. Day Tickets will also be available. . A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller's captivating parable of power. Lust and betrayal against the backdrop of the Salem witch trials. Bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase "burning with injustice," as every school-monkey bored ridged by a rubbish teacher knows, this is the Arthur "I pulled Marilyn" Miller commentary on McCarthyism set during the Salem Witch Trials. NATIONAL THEATRE - THE CRUCIBLE Rating: NR Length: 194 mins Cast: Erin Doherty and Brendan Cowell Session Times (click preferred session time to book): Sat 4th Mar: 1:00pm Sun 5th Mar: 1:00pm Experience it only in cinemas March 4. Doherty said that to be working with Lyndsey Turner on this play at the National is immensely exciting and still utterly unbelievable to say out loud. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe . The role of accuser-in-chief Abigail Williams goes to the ever-excellent Doherty. The Royal National Theatre is a registered charity no.224223. At the other end of the age scale, Eileen Walsh gives an Elizabeth Proctor of great depth, inner strength and conviction radiating in her final scenes. National Theatre to stage The Crucible with Erin Doherty and Brendan Cowell Revival of Arthur Miller's allegory is part of a new season featuring The Boy With Two Hearts and a 40-week tour of. Karl Johnson's tragicomic Giles Corey, a wry figure whose decency lasts til the end; Rachelle Diedericks' would-be whistleblower Mary Warren, unable to stay the course; Tilly Tremayne's impassive Rebecca Nurse; Eileen Walsh's committed excellence as Elizabeth Proctor. Erin Doherty Abigail Williams and The Crucible cast at the National Theatre. Ita OBrien is the UKs leading intimacy coordinator (IC) and founder of Intimacy on Set, which provides services to theatre, opera, TV and film, when dealing with intimacy, sexual content, and nudity. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe from trial. How can this beauty arise from such ugliness? At the National Theatre, London, until 5 November. 142 min. Louise Kempton is an intimacy director/coordinator, movement director and actor working in theatre, TV and film. Monday 7 August 2023, 7pm. Then theres Catherine Fays costumes. The production will also be broadcast globally on 26 January 2023. Ellie Wintour is an Associate Designer at Es Devlin Studio and has worked closely with Es Devlin since June 2021. Brendan Cowell, as Proctor, is a rough, gruff farmer whose core of earnestness is revealed gradually. A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Millers captivating parable of power. We tell you the seats to buy, which to avoid, and how to get them at the best prices, Shaftesbury Avenue, The cast were outstanding, but back then it never changed its opinion of the piece one iota. . Directed by John Berry Scenic Design by Jo Mielziner; Costume Design by Carrie Fishbein Robbins; Lighting Design by Jo Mielziner Production Stage Manager: Patrick Horrigan; Stage Manager: Barbara-Mae Phillips Voice Director: Roland Gagnon PRODUCTIONS More Productions by Opening Date Captain Brassbound's Conversion Apr 17, 1972 Apr 29, 1972 The Crucible 2023 3 hr 3 min, 1 int. KEY CAST: Erin Doherty as Abigail Williams, Brendan . Enjoy rare insights into how theatre is made with this podcast interview series produced by Stage Directors and Choreographers Workshop Foundation (SDCF) and co-presented by TDF. Pablo Picasso at . Previous credits at University Theatre include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Cobweb) and The Crucible (Mercy Lewis). Hazel Holder studied MA Voice Studies at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and is a voice and dialect coach and a performer. 2000-2023"Theatremonkey," "Theatermonkey," "Chip" and "Sammy"are registered trademarks. This website uses cookies. A.R.T. The National Theatre at its best., Millers Crucible burns bright once more., Stark and stunninga beautiful production.. The National Theatre in London is to stage Arthur Millers classic play The Crucible in a revival which its artistic director Rufus Norris says will explore what it means to confront power in a time of political and social divide. Her frenzied, breathless asperity hints at a young woman whose destructive impulse is bound to turn inward too. The National Theatre hit revival of the Arthur Miller classic transfers to the West End in 2023. Immediately thrown into a grand atmosphere gushing rain from the ceiling and the distant flickering of two candles placed neatly on a table on stage. The original London theatre guide since 1995 Stay up to date with our newsletter. Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet) directs this . Completing the company will be David Ahmad, Nathan Amzi, Zo Aldrich, Stephanie Beattie, Raphael Bushay, Sophia Brown, Halle Brown, Anushka Chakravarti, Grace Cooper Milton, Rachelle Diedericks, Hero Douglas, Henry Everett, Nick Fletcher, Jersey Blu Georgia, Aoife Haakenson, Colin Haigh, Una Herrmann, Martin Johnston, Evie Marner, Gracie McGonigal, Alastair Parker, Joy Tan, Ami Tredrea, Tilly Tremayne and Cadence Williams. Tim Lutkin uses shadow in lighting to good effect, only the placing of one lamp at the back of the stage a technically necessary but slightly distracting requirement. Tim Lutkin trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The cast as a whole runs on a too loud, urgent tone but this recalibrates in the second half, with better pace and intensity in exchanges between John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth (Eileen Walsh, brilliantly balancing inner steel and nervousness). As a climate of fear spreads through the community, private vendettas fuel public accusations and soon the truth itself is on trial. The Crucible plays at the Olivier Theatre until November 5th. Skip section: Musical Theatre. When the 17-year-old Abigail Williams (a darkly blushing Erin Doherty) incites a group of young girls in Salem to accuse their neighbours of witchcraft, the whole town finds itself sucked into a vortex of unfounded indictments and imminent executions. The Royal National Theatre is a registered charity no.224223. Once it gets underway, two things about Turners production leap out. The Crucible, Arthur Millers 1953 drama about the Salem witch trials of 1692, is rife with unwavering prejudices,selfish slander, and sickening motives. National Theatre Gracie McGonigal trained at the Brit School and the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Youll be the first to know about our new shows, ticket offers and upcoming events. Erin Doherty, best known for portraying Princess Anne in The Crown, will play Abigail Williams whose past affair with Proctor leads her to stoke the hysteria about witchcraft that breaks out in 17th-century Salem. Composer and arranger is Caroline Shaw, and arranger and music director is Osnat Schmool. Find out more Find tickets Lyndsey Turner is an Associate of the National Theatre. Still it kicks off with wobbles and appears like a play being performed by numbers at the start. They are a company member ofShowstopper! In serving Millers text with discipline and care, Turner's staging is both sturdy and elegant, allowing contrary impulses to clash with shattering results. Lola is excited to further involve themselves in the great program of University Theatre through QuickSCRIPTS. A reviews round-up of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at the National Theatre starring Erin Doherty. Role. Its a bold gamble that really pays off, and makes Proctors flaws chiefly cheating on his wife Elizabeth (Eileen Walsh) with young Abigail Williams (Erin Doherty) seem both more pathetic and more human. Carol Starks Ann Putnam . As long-held grudges turn to violent disputes, humiliating secrets are . A single, flat musical note rumbles at the back of the drama, heightening its foreboding, and Tim Lutkins lighting reflects off an awning and shines across the stage like a celestial dawn on this cursed community. Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England no.749504. Es Devlin trained in English literature, art and music, before attending the Motley theatre design course. Joy Tan trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Ben Whishaw played Proctor in a Broadway production directed by Ivo van Hove in 2016 and Yal Farber staged it at Londons Old Vic in 2014 with Richard Armitage in the role. Lyndsey Turner's production, running from 14 September to 5 November (with press night on 21 September), has design by Es Devlin, costume design by Catherine Fay and lighting design by Tim Lutkin. We are looking for a Stage Manager to join the National Theatre for our new production of the Crucible. By the end he has visibly shattered, an angry, empty shell of a man who realises he has become an instrument of murder but has lost all control of the situation, his faith gone, simply desperate to save lives. From the National Theatre production. 86, 66, 56, 46, 36, 20, Friday & Saturday evenings: Lyndsey Turner's grandiloquent National Theatre production of Arthur Miller 's imperishable 1953 classic is so overloaded with singing from the opening period-style choral folk song to a final. The National also announced details of a UK and Ireland tour of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, its popular 2021 adaptation of Neil Gaimans book. Blythe Stewart trained at East 15 and the National Academy of Dramatic Arts (GITIS) in Moscow, Russia. The first impression is that Turner is intent on laying on a colossal, In any case, it would seem to back up the unexpected accents. For the National:Phaedra,The CrucibleandRutherford and Son. Completing the company will be David Ahmad, Nathan Amzi, Zo Aldrich, Stephanie Beattie, Raphael Bushay, Sophia Brown, Halle Brown, Anushka Chakravarti, Grace Cooper Milton, Rachelle Diedericks, Hero Douglas, Henry Everett, Nick Fletcher, Jersey Blu Georgia, Aoife Haakenson, Colin Haigh, Una Herrmann, Martin Johnston, Evie Marner, Gracie Abigail Williams: Sarah Miles: Betty Parris: Janina Faye: Deputy: Robert Russell: Prices below were compiled as booking originally opened. The Crucible - Earthy and atmospheric. Their conversation about his past infidelity creates an emotional focus followed by the bigger courtroom drama of the trials. Turners production sets great store by its exceptional ability to capture and nurture moments of remarkable tension, so much so that, at times, the physicality of the life on stage seems to come to a standstill, as if arrested by the concurrent interplay of looks, gestures, and words. It also functions as an allegory for the paranoid ravages of McCarthyism that Millers America was in the grip of. The play was originally due to open in June 2020 however was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Skip section: Dance More. Thanks for subscribing! Graeme Farrow, artistic director of Wales Millennium Centre, said: This is a Welsh story and an Afghan story that deserves as wide an audience as possible, particularly as the number of people fleeing violence and persecution rises across the globe.. Ultimately, it is these polished aesthetics that stay in our mind afterwards. Thursday and Saturday at 2pm and 7.30pm (first 2pm performance is on 17th June 2023). A stunner Es Devlins set for The Crucible at the National Theatre, London. Caroline Shaws music is the perfect underscore ratchetingup the tension. The full cast includes Eileen Walsh as Elizabeth Proctor, Fisayo Akinade as Reverend Hale, Karl Johnson as Giles Corey, Matthew Marsh as Danforth, Rachelle Diedericks as Mary Warren, and Gracie McGonigal as Susanna Walcott. Which is fine. The McCarthy-era metaphors remain grating for it, so much signalling it may as well be in surtitles behind the action, and the tension dissipates quickly once the deceptions are laid out for examination. Staff director is Blythe Stewart, and dialect coaches are Danile Lydon and Hazel Holder. Una Hermanns work intheatreincludesLeopoldstadt. The first is the accents. This review is from the National Theatre in September 2022. Perhaps, as a fellow audience member noted, there are also parallels with today's unending stream of social media-driven "moral panics" but the play still feels less of a discussion than an intellectual lecture. A Noo Joisey Proctor feels a bitwild at first, but it comes to feel like a great decision. Signed performance: 29th July 2023 at 2pm. The backdrop occasionally lights up to feature snaps of mute action as characters speak in the foreground, and scenes are rearranged with such nimbleness that it feels like a visual trick at times, along with a gleaming hard tiled floor which feels fittingly Puritan. Guess what it was doing rather than sitting through this play as booked two weeks ago after lithotripsy, it sought treatment for irony poisoning. GCSE Drama Student Conference: The Crucible at the National Theatre, 10am3.30pm on Thursday 6 October 2022. Watch the trailer, find screenings & book tickets for The Crucible on the official site. Considered one of the most notable works of the last . Sophia Brown trained at Arts Educational Schools and the Urdang Academy. It expected a fastidious sharpness, instead Akinade took a softer approach which did admittedly yield results in the final scenes where he realises the errors of assumption. She has worked extensively as a voice coach in theatre, film and TV. Es Devlins deceptively simple set, dominated by a ceiling-like, rain-spouting platform, utilises the depth of the Olivier to marvellous effect: while much of the action unfolds downstage centre, the upper reaches occasionally host haunting enactments of otherwise narrated material. Grace Cooper Milton trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama where productions includedBarbarians,Medea,A Midsummer Nights DreamandThe Cherry Orchard. Kempton is an associate member of Intimacy on Set. Raised to be seen and not heard, a group of young women suddenly find their words have a terrible power. And when you have decided, our great ticket deals will help save you money too. Revival of Arthur Millers allegory is part of a new season featuring The Boy With Two Hearts and a 40-week tour of Neil Gaimans The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Photo Credit: Johan Persson. The Boy With Two Hearts review an Afghan refugee familys story of fear and hope, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. Naomi Downham is currently Senior Casting Assistant at the National Theatre. Which is fine. Applications are now closed. We are looking for a Resident Director to join the National Theatre for our new production of the Crucible. Written by Arthur Miller. For the National:Phaedra,The CrucibleandRutherford and Son. (seen at the afternoon performance on 2nd November 2022) After the "World's Worst English Teacher . Anushka Chakravarti trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. 5 October 2022 The National sets us off right into Spooky Season with the retelling of the classic tale, The Crucible directed by Lyndsey Turner. Caroline Shaw is a musician working in many genres and mediums. Ita OBrien is the UKs leading intimacy coordinator (IC) and founder of Intimacy on Set, which provides services to theatre, opera, TV and film, when dealing with intimacy, sexual content, and nudity. The first impression is that Turner is intent on laying on a colossal, sturm-und-drang spectacle in the vein of the Old Vics monumental 2014 production, the last big London staging of Arthur Millers 1953 masterpiece. View Ratings. Rachelle Diedericks trained at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Millers play is both a tremendous piece of writing and built like brick shithouse. . On occasion, this emphasis on the particulars gives way to a faltering of the overall tempo, which is perhaps exacerbated by the plays own verbosity and its slightly drawn-out length. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. 'The Crucible' transfers to the Gielgud Theatre in June 2023, with casting TBC. DV8 - Strange Fish. Images from NT Live broadcast of the original production. That is not what we see here. here. Delfont Mackintosh Group booking information, Delfont Mackintosh Education booking information. Lyndsey Turner ( Hamlet) directs this contemporary new staging, designed by Tony Award-winning Es Devin ( The Lehman Trilogy ). Some Like It Hip Hop. For the National:The Crucible,Jack Absolute Flies Again,Middle,The Normal Heart, Master Harold and the Boys, Top Girls,Nine Night, MaRaineysBlackBottom,TreasureIsland,A Taste of Honey,EmilandtheDetectives,MoononaRainbowShawl,DoubleFeatureandMenShouldWeep. Monday Thursday evenings andall matinees: London's National Theatre has also announced Lyndsey Turner's take on The Crucible is transferring to the West End. They are joined by David Ahmad, Nathan Amzi, Zo Aldrich, Stephanie Beattie, Raphael Bushay, Sophia Brown, Halle Brown, Anushka Chakravarti, Grace Cooper Milton, Rachelle Diedericks, Hero Douglas, Henry Everett, Nick Fletcher, Jersey Blu Georgia, Colin Haigh, Una Herrmann, Martin Johnston, Evie Marner, Gracie McGonigal, Alastair Parker, Joy Tan, Ami Tredrea, Tilly Tremayne and Cadence Williams. He is a patron of Graeae Theatre Company, an associate artist of the Old Vic Theatre, and launched the pressure group Underlying Health Condition to champion disabled representation in the TV industry. And it has committed itself in writing to that confession. Akinade is a brilliant comedy actor and its not a comedy role. No results found Please try broadening your search criteria. Alastair Parker trained at the Guildford School of Acting and the Royal Academy of Music. Haze is used throughout. And of three hours well spent. Beautifully staged, it is an almost entirely faithful interpretation and feels safe for it. Haze is used throughout. Alice Grant trained at Goldsmiths, University of London. Clare Holman Susanna Walcott . Hero Douglas studied Music at the University of Oxford. Cast Reverend Parris . A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller's captivating parable of power. We already have this email. Catherine Fay is an Irish Costume Designer. As a climate of fear spreads through the community, private vendettas fuel public accusations and soon the truth itself is on trial. Image taken from the National Theatre Live broadcast of the original production. Shows marked VAX require proof of COVID-19 vaccination. For the National:The Crucible,Jack Absolute Flies Again,Middle,The Normal Heart, Master Harold and the Boys, Top Girls,Nine Night, MaRaineysBlackBottom,TreasureIsland,A Taste of Honey,EmilandtheDetectives,MoononaRainbowShawl,DoubleFeatureandMenShouldWeep. He also feels more like the little guy, standing up against Matthew Marshs posh, lugubrious Deputy Governor Danforth, whose inability to admit his own mistakes leads to carnage. London W1D 6AR Lyndsey Turners production keeps it in its original context and the play feels like a handsomely raised period piece. A gripping revival of Arthur Millers masterpiece. The Crucible, National Theatre review: Gripping revival of Arthur Miller's masterpiece speaks to us with urgent force 5/5 Erin Doherty confirms herself as one of our finest young actresses in a . Accusations of witchcraft following a game played by the daughters of a Massachusetts village spiral out of control and many must choose between their reputations and their integrity. Audio described performances: 22nd July 2023 at 2pm, 7th August 2023 at 7pm Everyone already knows what the subtext is, it doesnt need a hot-take reading. Olivier Award-winnerLyndsey Turner directs this electrifying new production with designs by Es Devlin in a magnificent restaging(Telegraph)ofArthur Millers masterpiece, a gripping parable of power and its abuse. The immersive staging will feature an ensemble cast and large-scale puppets. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! At the end, there's an overwhelming atmosphere of complete helplessness. Osnat Schmool is co-founder of Filament Theatre Company. The Salem witch trials come alive at the National Theatre with Arthur Millers The Crucible. 1965, at Old Vic, London. Erin Doherty and Brendan Cowell are set to star in the Nationals new production of The Crucible. Captured live from the Olivier stage at the National Theatre. But the director has cast-iron faith in the story itself, telling it as it should be told - as a cautionary tale and a horror fable with moments, such as when the schoolgirls go into bewitched spasms, that send shivers down the spine. Speak of the devil and he appears. Too broad at the beginning, his later grasp of the wider situation seemed a little less credible unless the intention is to show a steeper learning curve than reading the play might suggest. Performances: Monday to Saturday at 7pm, plus matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2pm. Alice Grant trained at Goldsmiths, University of London. Likewise Brendan Cowell as John Proctor takesa character decision to play as a yokel, complete with rural voice and intonation. Sharon Howard Tituba . Lyndsey Turners production keeps it in its original context and the play feels like a handsomely raised period piece. When no earthly cause can be determined, the citizens of Salem suspect that some more sinister force may be at hand.