interACT Theatre Presents The Crucible

An extended-run Fright Night comes to Maplewood this Halloween when The Crucible, Arthur Miller\'s well-known Colonial “witch hunt,” plays at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts over two weekends in October. \"This is a timeless piece of literature and theatre,” said Nicholas J. Clarey, Artistic Director of interACT Theatre Productions, which will present performances Oct. 12-Oct. 14 and Oct. 19-Oct. 21. “It depicts what is tempting for us to view as a very dark and tragic time in our history, something which we feel we are freed from, having recognized the hysteria that caused the deaths of far too many,” Performances will be 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12; Saturday, Oct. 13 (matinee and evening at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.); and Sunday matinee on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. The play will also run the following weekend, with performances at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19; Saturday, Oct. 20 (matinee at 2 p.m. and evening showing at 8 p.m.); and Sunday matinee, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students (w/ID) and seniors. Miller won a Pulitzer Prize for the Crucible in 1953. The play was written during the McCarthy period when Americans were accusing each other of Pro-Communist beliefs. The parallels of reckless, unsubstantiated accusations prevalent during that time can be seen in today\'s newspaper headlines and current debates of the day. “Unfortunately, the witch hunts are not isolated in the past,” Clarey said. “In Arthur Miller\'s time, and still today, the witch hunters are alive and well in our culture. Whether rooting out alleged communists, hanging witches, dehumanizing homosexuals, condemning minorities, or fomenting resentment across racial lines, the story is the same; it is just the costumes that have changed.\" interACT is a young Essex County theatre company that plans three main stage productions in its upcoming season, including Neil Simon\'s Plaza Suite and The Full Monty in the spring and a children’s presentation, Charlotte’s Web (Auditions are Tuesday, Oct. 23 and Wednesday, Oct. 24). More information and tickets are available from interACT Theatre Productions @ http://www.interactproductions.org or (973)-544-8489.