Teachers rise up to challenge of igniting The Crucible with energetic table read
“You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” Surprising sounds emanating from the esteemed Brett Hartman, as mild a mannered fellow as one would care to meet. Not so much, however, when he channels Reverend Parris from the 1952 hit play, The Crucible. Arthur Miller’s allegorical condemnation of McCarthyism and the communist witch hunt has long been an anchor text in the junior curriculum as students learn not just about history, but pick up a lens to view contemporary injustices. Now, thanks to Hartman and the West English Department, the play has come to life.
Given the restrictions of remote learning, reading any play can be challenging as the interaction and inflection requisite to the stage fall somewhere on the sliding scale between difficult and impossible to replicate. In response to this dilemma, Hartman sought to help his students by creating and recording a dramatic table read of The Crucible featuring the voices of the English Department and some very special guests.
“It would be pretty difficult with the virtual setting to grasp the full understanding of the text,” he said. “I wanted to give the students the opportunity to get a good idea of the play, while still learning from home.”
Teachers of all shapes and sizes rose to the challenge of student engagement. Hartman found little trouble filling out the cast, a testament to either the diligence of the teachers or their natural hambone personalities, or both.
“Within ten minutes of sending out the invitation, most of the parts were taken,” he said.
Not only did English teachers show their dedication to benefiting the students, but other staff members likewise stepped up to flesh out the cast and the reading experience.
“Some of the administrative staff made an appearance,” Hartman said. “Getting the administrators to help really shows that this was a collaborative effort.”
Sure enough, Assistant Principals Aaron Herm and Cory Beaulieu, Principal Erin Kohl, and Dean of Students Shayna Reynard all made appearances in acts three and four. Kohl, who took on the role of Mercy Lews and ‘the girls,’ was excited that the administration team was able to take part.
“Any time staff members can come together to collaborate, it is a beautiful thing,” she said. “As soon as I read the email I responded that I would love to participate. Any time I can do something fun with staff and for students, I'm in!”
William Brydon, teaching junior honors through Global Academy, sympathized with the students.
“The students are missing the interactive piece: this is a play meant to be performed,” he said. “The table read brought the play a little more to life than reading it alone in isolation.”
Seeing that students were unable to act out the scenes of The Crucible, the different voices and tones helped bring differentiation to this project, allowing students to learn in a hands-on way. Phelps, who took on the challenging role of John Proctor, one made famous in an unforgettable performance by Dainel Day Lewis, recognized the challenge that this presented to students and was eager to help out.
“I know that the fake archaic language can be hard to understand,” he said. “I know it can be especially challenging for a student to understand this normally, so to help act this out was truly my pleasure.”
Staff members also saw the collaboration as a fun break from school, rather than a project. Ta Xiong, an English 2 teacher and avid fan of The Crucible, enjoyed bringing life to the words in the script during her turn as the nefarious Abigail Williams.
“This project turned out to be a huge success,” she said. “I had a blast doing it as well.”
Kohl was also grateful for the opportunity to take part in the reading as it provided an opportunity to switch up the daily routine.
“Even though we did this project virtually, it was a wonderful break from the daily grind and a fun way to connect with my colleagues,” she said.
English 1 and 3 teacher Jen Stellpflug recognizes the importance of storytelling, and was grateful to share the experience with her fellow colleagues during her impressive turn as Mary Warren.
“The arts can bring people together and push us to participate in that willing suspension of disbelief that is so important to our minds and souls,” she said. “Collaborating with my English colleagues is always the highlight of my work week.”
As the plot contained a multitude of dynamic characters, teachers had the chance to let their inner actors shine through. Xiong found that some teachers really stepped into their character’s shoes.
“Mr. Scott provided the most dramatic reenactment by far,” she said. “Seeing Scott go from an innocent Irish accent to a commanding judge made it all the more entertaining.”
Scott was thrilled for the opportunity.
“English teachers are all closet actors,” he said. “Remote learning deprives us of the opportunity to really embody these works in the classroom, and that makes the learning environment less than it was. We have talked about doing this in the past, and I’m so happy we were able to make it work now more than ever thanks to Hartman’s efforts.”
There may be an encore in the nascent acting troupe’s near future.
“My AP kids are going to be reading Hamlet in December,” Scott said. “I’d love to try our hand at that one next. I know Brydon will be down for it.”
What started out as Hartman trying to assist his students as much as possible turned out to be an all-school collaborative project, which succeeded in successfully recreating all four acts of The Crucible.
”Hearing the emotion and seeing the drama in action makes a huge difference in comprehension,” Hartman said. “Overall, it was a huge success to benefit the students and a lot of fun to make.”
For those of you who managed to read all the way to the end, here is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Click any (or all) of these links to enjoy the play in all its glory!
By John Vanden Heuvel
Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue II
October 30th, 2020