This past weekend, the Cathedral Prep and Villa Maria theater program held performances for their first show of the year, The Crucible. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was a story about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693.

The story focused on a young farmer named John Proctor, portrayed by Prep senior Kiernan Nies, whose wife was accused of witchcraft resulting in her arrest. The farmer (Nies) then brings the girl who accused his wife to court to admit her false accusations, and instead of proving his wife’s innocence, he finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately being condemned to die with many other innocent people.

When asked about the performances, Kiernan Nies said, “This was the first show of the school year, and the first time the actors and actresses of Prep and Villa were gathered back together to put on a show. Despite this, I think the show was truly a great success.” 

Everybody on stage had an exceptional amount of lines to learn, and each and every actor/actress performed to the best of their abilities, truly embodying their characters. There were many parts that contributed to the success of the play, including a talented stage crew, costume and makeup artists, the boys in the tech booth, and the majority credit, which goes to the directors, Father Mike DeMartinis, Amy Boxer, and Garette Fritz, who supported and pushed every member of the cast to do their best each night.

Overall, the months of time and effort that were put into the production of The Crucible paid off extraordinarily on stage. This was only the first show of the 2019-2020 school year, and the men and women of Prep and Villa will continue to put on many other successful plays and musicals this school year.