Persephone Productions Presents ABIGAIL/1702: A TWICE TOLD TALE

By: Oct. 02, 2018
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

Persephone Productions brings an imagined sequel to Arthur Miller's The Crucible with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Abigail/1702: A Twice Told Tale, playing at the Studio Jean-Valcourt du Conservatoire from October 18 to October 28. The play follows the character of Abigail Williams, from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, ten years after the events of the Salem Witch Trials.

Considered the antagonist of Miller's 1953 play, Abigail/1702 shows an Abigail that has spent the last decade caring for victims of the smallpox epidemic in an attempt to atone for her sins; 20 innocent souls hanged at Salem's Gallows Hill. One such patient, John Brown, causes her newfound devotion to waver and as a result, she must face her past head on.

Director Christopher Moore was drawn to this story because of its exploration of the theme of redemption: "Abigail, as depicted in The Crucible, is callous, greedy, and downright sociopathic. Aguirre-Sacasa has chosen a previously villainous character to ask some very complex questions about forgiveness, especially in a modern context. How much good must we put into the world to atone for past sins? Do genuinely remorseful people deserve forgiveness for their transformation? What does it take to forgive oneself?"

As a company mandated to work with emerging artists, the production totes many fresh faces. Leading the cast as the titular Abigail is Eléonore Lamothe (McGill). John Brown, the man that would see her falter, is played by Anton May (Dawson, recent META nominee for Outstanding Emerging Artist). The devilish Man in Grey is portrayed by Persephone Alum, Nils Svensson-Carell (Dawson, Moby Dick). Clive Brewer has worked with Persephone several times, and comes on board to play the historic Judge Samuel Sewall and Abigail's own uncle, Rev. Parris. Playing the final female parts, including Elizabeth Proctor, is Tamara Richards.

Persephone's Artistic Director, Christopher Moore, helms the team as director. The design team is made up of John Abbott graduates: Amy Wetzler (set design), Vanessa Moreno (costume design) and Kevin Conforti (lighting and sound design). Newcomer, Natalie Bartoszek rallies the tram as stage manager.

Persephone Productions is a not-for-profit theatre company mandated to provide exposure and challenging, interesting work for talented emerging actors and other young theatre professionals in related fields such as set design, costume design, stage management, sound, lighting and music. For more info, visit www.persephoneproductions.org.

 

Join Team BroadwayWorld

Are you an avid theatergoer? We're looking for people like you to share your thoughts and insights with our readers. Team BroadwayWorld members get access to shows to review, conduct interviews with artists, and the opportunity to meet and network with fellow theatre lovers and arts workers.

Interested? Learn more here.



Videos