Reading of The Crucible to mark Theatre Day celebrations at Jagriti

Jagriti Theatre will celebrate World Theatre Day on March 27 by bringing to the stage a reading of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. Arundhati Raja, the founder-trustee of Jagriti and director of the play says The Crucible was chosen because of its relevance in society today.

Arundhati has directed over 30 productions and has been in theatre for over 45 years. Speaking on the phone from Bengaluru, she says, “Arthur Miller wrote the play when the U.S. Government began persecuting those accused of being Communists. A classic, the play is still relevant.”

This play dramatised the infamous Salem witch trials of 17 ^th century Massachusetts, by drawing an allegory between the trials and the victimization of perceived Communists.

Arundhati continues, “The relevance is still strong because of the current political, religious, and societal climate.

She says since it is a tough production to mount for any theatre company, Jagriti has produced a reading of the play instead. The reading will have an experienced cast of 14 characters to bring the words alive, she adds.

The Crucible- A Rehearsed Reading will be staged on March 27
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

This show is a part of the Rebuilding Resources Initiative of the company. Rebecca Spurgeon, the artistic director at Jagriti says all funds raised from this show will go directly towards infrastructure and operational costs of Jagriti as regular income streams were affected because of the pandemic.

“The last couple of years have not been easy for anyone and it has been especially tough on performance spaces. This initiative is a way to include programming focused on raising funds for the theatre so we can continue to create work and survive these uncertain times,” she says.

The reading will be followed by a short interaction on the themes of the play with Aditya Sondhi, a senior advocate, and a theatre artist.

The Crucible – A Rehearsed Reading will be staged on Sunday, March 27, at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, Bengaluru at 3 pm. Tickets can be booked here.