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Ashland High School takes on � The Crucible It's 3 p.m. on a sunny Sunday as dozens of students and a handful of adults busily interact in the chilly, dark confines of Ashland High School's Mountain Avenue Theater. Director Doug Rowe is holding a run-through of AHS's fall play, Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." Students mill around backstage or wait in the seats until it's their time to be on stage. Many of the girls have long, ruffled skirts pulled on over their street clothes, but mostly the attire is casual: jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, sports shoes or no shoes. A few pieces of stage furniture: iron bedstead, washstand, table and benches with pewter mugs, define the era as early colonial as do large beams suspended above the stage. But the details about scenery and costumes quickly fall away as the opening scenes of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" unfold. Set in 1692, in Salem, Mass. and written in 1952 during the height of the McCarthy era, the play begins by setting up a complicated situation in the town. There's a scene in the forest where a group of young girls are chanting and dancing, as if in a trance, around a cauldron. They are discovered by the father of one of the girls, who happens to be the local pastor. Shocked and angry, he disbands the group. The next day two of the girls seem to have fallen into some strange sleep. While the righteous but ethically-challenged minister tries to do damage control amidst the townsfolk, the girls seem to be under some evil spell. The blame game begins. It's this blame, empowered by societal fears and finger-pointing that draws relevance to any time, any era. Though set in 17th-century Salem, Miller was writing in the 1950s during a time of peaked communist fears in the United States, according to Rowe, who stressed that the play remains relevant today. "It's that whole 'You're either with us or you're against us' thing," he said. However, Rowe is not on a mission other than producing a great play. "We try to avoid any kind of parallel," Rowe said, "Whatever somebody wants to glean from it, they can." Additionally, Rowe strives to paint a believable picture of people in 1690s Salem. Having grown up in New England, Rowe has worked to give the students a feel for the times. "I taught in Beverly, Massachusetts, next to Salem," he said. "I know the town. I remember walking by a house built in 1640." This play tells a story rooted in the troubles of people who could have lived in that town. Rowe is not new to Miller's plays. He moved his family to Ashland from Laguna Beach, Calif. to play Willy Loman in Miller's "Death of A Salesman" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. His performance was praised by critics for infusing Loman with an ethereal, bewildered quality that lit the stage with his humanity. As the Sunday rehearsal continues, Rowe intently teaches his students. It's rehearsal and acting class combined. Rowe wants the students to deliver, what he calls "building the bubble," or creating in the audience the willing suspension of disbelief. I think he'll do it. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself. LINKS: REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. DAILY TIDINGS: Main | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -