Community actors needed for Mal-U fall production

Open auditions will be held on September 19, 7 pm at Malaspina University-College Theatre for the fall production of The Crucible.

Director Ross Desprez is looking for mature men and women (50 +) to fill several roles in this student production, which runs October 27 through November 5, 2005 at Malaspina University-College Theatre at the Nanaimo campus.

Written by Arthur Miller, this American classic will feature students from the theatre department, members of the community and other faculty.

In 1953, The Crucible premiered as an allegory comparing the Salem witch-hunts of 1692 to the McCarthy trials which were bent on rooting out communism, said Desprez.

"This powerful drama reveals how mass hysteria can overcome a society when social, political, or religious foundations are challenged. Miller reveals how paranoia fuels rumors, ancient grudges and finger pointing, which traps the innocent through guilt by association.

"The contemporary significance of The Crucible is clear as we watch the United States turn its defenses towards the threats of Middle Eastern terrorists," he added. "Its own citizens’ political and religious allegiances are once again brought into question, and the very rights and freedoms they defend are challenged and compromised."

Evening performances will take place at 8 pm October 27, 28, 29 and November 3, 4, 5, with matinees at 12 noon on October 31, November 1, 2, 3 and 4.

All performances take place in the Malaspina University-College Theatre, 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo. For information about the auditions, call Cheryl Coburn at 740-6172. For ticket information, call 740-6100.