4 minute read
The Crucible’s Director’s Notes: An Interview with Mrs. Kathy d'Alelio
From Back Stage to On Stage: My Experience in PVI’s The Crucible
By Emma Ladowicz ’26
Even before I started my freshman year at PVI, I knew that I would love to be involved in the Theatre program. After working on the crew for last fall’s production of Murder on the Orient Express and playing a member of the Vice Squad in the spring’s Nice Work if You Can Get It, I was blessed to land a role as one of the infamous “Scream Queens” in The Crucible. To say the experience was exhilarating would be an understatement. Every second of the show, both onstage and off, was absolutely incredible.
One of my favorite parts of working on the show was not even the acting itself. At set builds, which took place on Saturday mornings and afternoons, I got to work with my fellow cast and crew members to make the show’s set look straight out of the 1600s. It was really enjoyable not only to spend more time with everyone but also to learn how to operate tools that I previously had no experience using. It was really interesting to experience firsthand how much work goes into making a show look amazing.
In addition to working on the set, every rehearsal was also fun. Even when I felt absolutely exhausted, the adrenaline rush from playing one of the terrified girls always helped me to give my all. One of the best parts of rehearsing so much was getting to know the play, the scenes, and the actors’ lines so well. When rehearsals first started, I couldn’t remember who said what line or at what point they were supposed to say it.
Pretty soon, though, I knew what was coming; this made the show, and my ability to perform right on cue with the appropriate amount of spontaneity, even more enjoyable. The courtroom scene, for example, never really stopped being thrilling, and I know that is what made it so much fun.
Outside of my main role as a Scream Queen, I was also given the opportunity to understudy Katherine Heflin ’27, who played Elizabeth Proctor. This was truly a unique experience for me because it was the largest role in which I had ever been placed. It was really nice to get to know not only Katherine but also Mateo Sur ’24, who portrayed John Proctor. Understudying Katherine helped me to develop my skills as an actress.
One of my favorite memories from my experience in being a part of PVI’s The Crucible is dancing backstage and spontaneously singing songs like the team-building and energyinspiring “Kumalata Vista'' with other members of the cast. There is just something so incredible about joining together with others in something like singing or dancing to a song. If I could go back and relive any moment from the show, it would definitely be one of these backstage moments.
On Sunday, after the curtain fell at the matinee, it was bittersweet. All of our hard work was now shown to everyone, and it was time to begin taking down the set at set strike. It felt a bit strange taking apart the set after spending so much time putting it together, but this end to PVI’s fall production meant a new beginning for PVI’s spring show – Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, Cinderella. I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Can You Say My Name
Can you say my name to remind me of your voice for the final time
I forgot your face the way that you glanced at me is all I recall
By Katherine Kirk ’25
The Gracious Full Moon
the gracious full moon shines her love's light on my face gleam in still black night
By Elizabeth Anderson ’25
Excerpts from the Portfolio of Fantasy Fiction Writer, Garbriela Bergstrom ’27 genre: Fantasy title: "Dweller's Guide to Roygaia" setting: Roygaia, a fantasy world not connected to Earth characters: Tremiyth, from the Gemata Region of Roygaia, and Rockalse, from the Exiled Dunes Region of Roygaia
“The inspiration for these scenes was from how much I enjoy fantasy genres and themed games inside fiction. Since I am always imagining a number of different fictional characters, moments, and mini-stories inside my head, I decided to actually write one of them out for the real world!”
