HC Arts

“Abigail/1702” Auditions Held

 

Photo by Alexah Maguire
A sort of mass hysteria has gripped the Hastings College Theater as auditions for the fall show, “Abigail/1702” were held late last month. The show serves as a sequel to Arthur Miller’s iconic play “The Crucible,” following the character Abigail Williams as she runs from the events of the Salem witch trials that haunt her past. 

Cooper Sivara, director of the show and Hastings College’s Visiting Instructor of Theater, gets a very special view of the behind the scenes elements of the show. When describing the play, he said the words spooky and autumnal immediately came to mind for the aesthetic elements of the show, but there appears to be a more complex driving force behind the surface of the show. 

“Hope is the driving factor of this play and it’s a very strong counterpoint to ‘The Crucible,’ whose driving factor is fear… It’s hope driving the characters forward,” Sivara said. 

With the show being a sequel, the pasts of the characters are never far behind them, which is evident. “The action is going to showcase people who are trying to cope with their pasts… There’s a lot of secrets, and they’re trying to really avoid dealing with their pasts and taking responsibility for their actions. As the show goes on, we’re going to see them confront those things that they are afraid to face,” Sivara said. 

Energy has been high in the theater as work has begun on getting the show ready to perform. “I’m really excited for the team that we have. I’ve met with all of our team members, and there’s very positive energy…The audience is going to have a great opportunity to get immersed in this world, it’s going to be a very engaging experience,” Sivara said. 

Sophomore David Udlock, who is cast in the role of John Brown, is thrilled. The cast read “The Crucible” to get contexts on the time period in which the two shows took place, in addition to doing extensive research called dramaturgy to help them learn about their characters’ identities. 

“He [John Brown] is this mysterious person who shows up on Abigail’s doorstep one day. He’s very sick, and begs Abigail to take him in. John is taken into her care, and throughout the story it’s revealed that John might not be all he says he is, so there’s a bit of mystery surrounding the man” Udlock said.

Though Udlock is an actor, the technical elements of the show play a critical role themselves, especially special effects makeup. 

“Smallpox is a very physically taxing virus, so we’re going to be doing a lot of special effects makeup to gross out the audience. But there’s also a lot of opportunities for very cool tech elements in the show, like spooky soundscapes and lighting designs. I’m an actor, so I should be excited to act, but I’m still really excited to see what tech comes up with,” said Udlock.

Helping set the scene for “Abigail/1702” is Sarah Nottage-Tacey’s Fundamentals of Acting class as they will do live readings of scenes from “The Crucible” at Prairie Loft, a wooded outdoor education center on the outskirts of Hastings. 

The readings will happen on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. “Abigail/1702” will premiere at the Scott Studio Theater on Halloween, and will continue to run until November 3. Show times for “Abigail/1702” are at 7 p.m. from Oct. 31-Nov. 2. The Nov. 3 show will start at 2 p.m.