<bt>Lake Braddock (LB) Secondary has a long-standing reputation as having an outstanding theater program. This fall’s show, "The Crucible," running Nov. 21-24, promises to live up to that reputation.
Theater director R.L. Mirabal has been considering doing this show for years, since it is a part of the 11th-grade English curriculum. “It’s not one of those plays that everyone will leave singing and dancing, but if the kids have to study it anyway, we want to give them the opportunity to see it live,” Mirabal said.
In usual LB fashion, the cast is huge. Thirty named parts were given, all of which have at least one line. There is also an extensive staff of behind-the-scenes workers including techs, grips and makeup artists.
Actors are expected to put massive amounts of after-school time into the show. Before production week, two to three hours were spent after school every day. Now that production week has started, the cast will be at school from 2:15 until 8:30 or 9 p.m.
To people who don’t act, this may seem like a huge amount of work for four shows’ worth of glory. The actors themselves believe that it is time well spent. “When you’re on stage, under the lights, with all that applause, it’s amazing,” senior Lauren Kidd said.
"The Crucible" will be Kidd’s seventh major Lake Braddock Theatre (LBT) production. She has also worked on aspects of other productions. She will be playing the major role of Elizabeth Proctor.
With the amount of time that students spend together working on these productions, some very close bonds are formed, said senior Kathryna Purgal. She will be playing the role of Abigail Williams. Purgal is also an LBT veteran, having appeared in more than six main stage shows.
Upperclassmen aren't the only ones who are represented in this show. Several freshmen and sophomores have speaking parts. “The cast this year is great. I’m especially excited about being able to work with the freshmen and sophomore guys so that we can start getting them ready to take major roles,” Mirabal said.