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WASHINGTON COUNTY ARTS GUIDE SEPTEMBER — NOVEMBER 2013
BY MOLLY JONES
B
eaverton Civic Theatre
hasn’t even started
rehearsals for its
production of The Crucible,
and it’s already causing a stir.
From the first day of auditions, it
was clear this show would be different.
With 22 acting parts, The Crucible is
certainly one of the larger productions
Beaverton Civic Theatre has squeezed
onto the small stage it borrows in the
Beaverton City Library’s 150-seat
auditorium.
But even with so many parts,
director Doreen Lundberg says she
never expected such a turnout.
“Honestly, I did the auditions in
May because I was
terrified that I wouldn’t
get enough men,” she
admits. “I was sure I
would have to spend the
summer trying to
wrangle guys into doing
the show.”
What happened
instead was, well … “It
was like herding cats,”
Lundberg laughs.
More than 80
hopefuls showed up to
rehearsals — and it was
quite the talented
bunch.
“She probably could
have cast the show very
adequately three times
over,” notes Seth Haas,
who secured the role of
the protagonist, John
Proctor.
Lundberg says a
major part of her job as a director
normally involves teaching the basic
theater craft to less-experienced cast
members in order to accommodate
differing skill levels. With this
particular group, however, that won’t
be necessary.
“We have a lot of people who are
beyond basics. They’re people who
could do theatre professionally —
they’re that good — and they just
choose not to,” she explains. “With this
more experienced group of people, I
think we’re going to be able to get
beyond the basics of making sure that
the show is tight and that it’s cohesive
and all that.
“We’re going to be able to get to
where we can really show the whole
arc and flow of [the play]. We really
want the shape of the show to be
something that brings the audience
along and has them completely
engaged.”
DEPARTURE FROM MUSICALS
But it’s not just the stellar turnout
that stands out about The Crucible.
This selection indicates that in the five
years it has existed, Beaverton Civic
Theatre has grown in more ways than
size. This fall’s drama represents a
departure from the musicals and other,
more lighthearted productions to
which Beaverton Civic Theatre’s
audience may be accustomed.
Playwright Arthur Miller’s
legendary 1953 dramatization of the
Fear, paranoia are themes in The Crucible, coming in September
Troupe brings famous play to Beaverton
Beaverton Civic Theatre actors Leticia Maskell (Elizabeth Proctor) and Seth Haas (John Proctor) do a
read-through of their script.
COURTESY OF JAMES BASS
“We’ve had some great
comedies, but [this is] a
thinking audience, and I
think they’re really going
to find our interpretation
to be both entertaining
[and] also profound.”
AARON MORROW,
MEMBER OF BEAVERTON CIVIC THEATRE’S
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
