Skyline High School to present ‘The Crucible’

Published 2:57 pm Thursday, December 5, 2013

Skyline High School’s play, “The Crucible” will start running next week featuring many talented students in challenging roles.

The Crucible is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller and features a dramatized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during the 1600s.

Nate Vanderweide, a Skyline senior, plays John Proctor. His sister, Brianna Vanderweide, a Skyline sophomore, plays Mary Warren. They have surprisingly never acted together before, having always been at different schools.

The Vanderweide siblings moved to Sammamish in August from the East coast and said the transition has been challenging, but they have met really great people through the drama program and the play itself.

Nate said he is most excited to play a role he’s not accustomed to.

“I’m normally in a comedic play, and I’m always typically cast as just a crazy little dude,” he said. “But this time I get to be the moral protagonist. I enjoy playing this dramatic role.”

The play is directed by Hannah Fry, who teaches both English and theater at Skyline.

“My primary background has always been in theater and I love being a drama teacher,” Fry said. “I always knew that I wanted to run a high school drama program because I love all facets of theater, from performance to directing to design and technical theater, as well as marketing and publicity. However, it is also wonderful being an English teacher because of the wonderful literature we get to explore.”

Fry also admits that the most challenging aspect has been the theatre’s transition to heavy drama.

“Skyline has grown incredibly accustomed to comedies, and students were stretched to broaden their dramatic ranges with this piece,” she said.

While the students admit that parts of the play have been challenging, they said Fry has made the process easy.

“Ms. Fry is a really, really good director,” said Carly Rosenbaum, a Skyline junior who plays Abigail Williams.

Brianna and Rosenbaum said a lot of the parts are out of the actors’ comfort zones.

“Let’s just say there’s lots of touching,” Rosenbaum said. “Sometimes you just have to remember you’re playing a character.”

And according to Fry, the students have done an amazing job of doing just that.

“The most rewarding part of the process is seeing the students grow and discover their parts,” she said. “They feel a sense of ownership over these characters that is truly inspiring.”

Although the Vanderweides and Rosenbaum love performing, they don’t necessarily see it as their future career path.

“Performing is a huge part of my life, but there are other things I want to pursue,” Rosenbaum said.

Nate and Brianna agreed, saying that acting would always be one of their hobbies.

But for right now, all of their focus is on next week’s performances.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how far everybody has come. It’s been a really interesting process,” Brianna said. “I think it will really come together and be fun. It’s a crazy play.”

Performances of “The Crucible” will begin at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11-13 and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Lyceum Theatre inside Skyline High School. General admission is $8. Skyline High School staff and students pay $4.

The cast of ‘The Crucible’ during rehearsal.

Brianna Vanderweide (Mary Warren) and Nate Vanderweide (John Proctor) during rehearsals.