The award-winning Patriot Players of Liberty High will present Arthur Miller’s classic American drama, The Crucible, this month.

Based on historical characters and events from the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, The Crucible was written in 1953 as an allegory to the McCarthy-era “witch hunt” for communists in America. The play is one of the most widely-studied and performed works of the American theatrical canon, and is read in all junior English classes in the Issaquah District.

“I think kids have enjoyed The Crucible because though it is a play set during the Puritan times, the issues about public versus private information, giving youth a voice, and the power of fear to corrupt are ones we deal with in 2010,” said English teacher Kris Daughters. It’s fun to make those connections with kids.

The play will be performed Nov. 12, 13, 18, and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Liberty High School Auditorium, 16655 SE 136th St., Renton.

Many of the cast members also enjoy the intense and shocking nature of the script. Junior Hannah Grandine, who plays one of the girls who accuses others of witchcraft, says, “This play is super-intense. There’s no way to avoid being sucked in.”

Sophomore Carlee Robertson, observes, “I love how deep this play is. It’s so amazing and complex, full of little quotes that are so much fun once you figure out what they mean.”

Senior Erik Wolf-Rowland, used to playing sweet or funny characters, plays flawed hero John Proctor this time around, and says, “I enjoy analyzing individual characters more deeply than I did in class. I enjoy playing a character full of rage, as opposed to an ingénue or a ‘simple’ character.” And senior Holly Milligan, as a villainous prosecutor, notes, “Being in the play is so refreshing because as Judge Hathorne I can yell at a bunch of people without any qualms.”

For more information: klekask@issaquah.wednet.edu.