The Crucible

A revolutionary work of theatre by one of the world’s greatest playwrights, The Crucible dramatizes the 17th-century Salem witch trials, and was written in 1953 as an angry allegory to the anti-Communist hysteria of the time. Miller himself was questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee, found guilty of communist beliefs and convicted of “contempt of Congress” for refusing to identify others. The Crucible is a central work in the canon of American theater. Its themes continue to resonate in today’s political climate.