Auditions are open for InPlayers’ Spring production: The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

This play, directed by Niamh Merritt, is the dramatised story of the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. A timeless parable that exposes the evils of mindless persecution and the terrifying power of theocracy, The Crucible is an exciting and chilling play for the ages.

We encourage all aspiring actors of 18 and above, of all ethnicities, abilities and gender identities to sign up to audition for the characters they’d like to portray. Please fill out and submit the audition form below before Sunday, 16th February 2025.

Audition Date: Saturday, 22nd February 2025

Audition Location: CREA Room 3.06, Amsterdam

Call Back Date: Sunday, 23rd February 2025

Call Back Location: CREA Room 3.06, Amsterdam

Performances Dates:

• Thursday, 15th May

• Friday, 16th May

• Saturday, 17th May

• Sunday, 18th May

Performance Location: Mike's Badhuis Theater, Amsterdam

Director: Niamh Merritt

Synopsis of the Play:

1692. A witch hunt is beginning in Salem.

Raised to be seen and not heard, a group of young women suddenly find their words have a terrible power.

As a climate of fear spreads through the community, private vendettas fuel public accusations and soon the truth itself is on trial.

About the Director:

Niamh has been performing from a young age, acting in several local plays and competing in regional performance competitions. An avid theatre goer and enthusiast, she has recently performed in Blood Brothers (HEA Productions, 2024) and Wyrd Sisters (InPlayers, 2025). She was Assistant Director for She Kills Monsters (The Cauldron, 2024). The Crucible is her Amsterdam directing debut and the first of an exciting season of projects.

Characters:

Reverend Samuel Parris, age 35 - 55		The minister of Salem’s church. Reverend Parris is a paranoid, power-hungry, yet oddly self-pitying figure. Many of the townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community.
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Betty Parris, age 10 - 20		Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter. Betty falls into a strange stupor after Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the forest with Tituba. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumors of witchcraft.
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Tituba, age 25 - 45		Reverend Parris’s slave, born in Barbados and brought to Salem. Wary and cautious, she is aware of the tenuousness of her situation and her lack of agency and power. She is a spiritual woman; however, as her spirituality is rooted in her Barbadian cultural tradition, it is perceived as completely foreign by the small, insular Salem community.
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Abigail Williams, age 17 - 25		Reverend Parris’s 17 year old niece. Abigail was once the servant for the Proctor household, but Elizabeth Proctor fired her after she discovered that Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John Proctor. Abigail is smart, wily, a good liar, and vindictive when crossed.
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Susanna Walcott, age 15 - 25		One of the girls who joins Abigail in crying witchcraft. She is nervous and worried, and afraid of Abigail.
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Ann Putnam, age 30 - 45		Thomas Putnam’s wife. Ann Putnam has given birth to eight children, but only Ruth Putnam survived. The other seven died before they were a day old, and Ann is convinced that they were murdered by supernatural means. Her grief has left her embittered and resentful of others.
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Thomas Putnam, age 35 - 50		A wealthy, influential citizen of Salem, Putnam holds a grudge against Francis Nurse for preventing Putnam’s brother-in-law from being elected to the office of minister. He uses the witch trials to increase his own wealth by accusing people of witchcraft and then buying up their land.
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Mercy Lewis, age 15 - 25		Mercy is servant to the Putnams. One of the girls in Abigail's group, she joins in condemning various villagers as witches.
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Mary Warren, age 16 - 25		A timid 17-year-old servant in the Proctor household and a member of Abigail’s group of girls. Easily influenced by those around her, she tries unsuccessfully to expose the hoax, but is thwarted by Abigail and the other girls. In order to save herself from their accusations of witchcraft, Mary ultimately recants her confession and turns on John Proctor.
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John Proctor, age 30 - 40		A local farmer who lives just outside town; Elizabeth Proctor’s husband. A stern, harsh-tongued man, John hates hypocrisy. Nevertheless, he has a hidden sin—his affair with Abigail Williams—that proves his downfall. When the hysteria begins, he hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he worries that his secret will be revealed and his good name ruined.
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Rebecca Nurse, age 50 - 75		Francis Nurse’s wife. Rebecca is a wise, sensible, and upright woman, held in tremendous regard by most of the Salem community. However, she falls victim to hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess.
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Giles Corey, age 60 - 80		An elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits. Giles’s wife, Martha, is accused of witchcraft, and he himself is eventually held in contempt of court and pressed to death with large stones.
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Reverend John Hale, age 25 - 40		A young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Reverend Hale is called in to Salem to examine Parris’s daughter Betty. Hale is a committed Christian and hater of witchcraft. His critical mind and intelligence save him from falling into blind fervor. His arrival sets the hysteria in motion, although he later regrets his actions and attempts to save the lives of those accused.
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Elizabeth Proctor, age 25 - 35		John Proctor’s wife. Elizabeth fired Abigail when she discovered that her husband was having an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth is supremely virtuous, but often cold.
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Francis Nurse, age 50 - 70		A wealthy, influential man in Salem. Nurse is well respected by most people in Salem, but he is an enemy of Thomas Putnam and his wife.
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Ezekiel Cheever, age 18 - 70		A man from Salem who acts as clerk of the court during the witch trials. He is upright and determined to do his duty for justice. Takes his responsibilities to the court extremely seriously and does its bidding even when it involves arresting friends and neighbours; torn between duty and humanity;
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Judge Hathorne, age 35 - 55		A judge presiding over the trials, second in command to Judge Danforth. He is very confident in himself and his own authority and importance. He is wilfully ignorant to any dissent voiced by the community.
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Judge Danforth, age 40 - 60		The deputy governor of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at the witch trials. Honest and scrupulous, at least in his own mind, Danforth is convinced that he is doing right in rooting out witchcraft. He is not afraid to use his position and authority to bully suspects and dissenters.
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George Herrick, age 18 - 70		Marshal of the court. Sympathetic and kind to the accused who are under his watch. He is attentive to his duties, but not overzealous.
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We’re also looking to strengthen the team that will produce this play. Click here to see how you can help!

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Audition Form