The Crucible

by Arthur Miller

producing artistic director’s notes by Emilia Sargent 

We at the Tampa Repertory Theatre are thrilled to have you here with us for the opening of our thirteenth season with this timeless, relevant American classic play –Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Once again, TampaRep is partnering with ThinkTank Theatre to bring this powerful story to life. We believe that collaboration fosters a sense of community among theatre artists and audiences. By working together, we are creating a network of support for each other and for our audiences, leading to a stronger, more vibrant and inclusive arts scene overall. On behalf of TampaRep and ThinkTank, I offer our heartfelt thanks to Stageworks Theatre for their warm welcome, venue partnership, and for providing a space for people to come together and celebrate the arts.

We study history so that we can learn from our mistakes and create a better future for ourselves and for our descendants. So often, as we look back, we find that those before us faced the same social and human challenges that we face today, just in different settings. The Crucible is a cautionary tale about the dangers of extremism and the importance of standing up for what is right, even in adversity. It is a reminder of the importance of individual conscience and the dangers of conformity, as well as a reminder of the power of language to shape our identities and our perceptions of the world around us.

TampaRep’s vision is to be a thriving regional theatre, built on creative excellence and inclusivity, which enhances Tampa as a cultural destination and enriches and reflects our community as an artistic home for all to discover, share, create, and experience meaningful stories. Some of the first steps we have taken in service of this vision include paying artists and designers more, expanding our artistic family, finding ways to make live theatre more accessible to our community, and partnering with other artistic organizations to enhance live theatre in Tampa. We have been able to accomplish these things because of the generous support of our donors and sponsors – audience members from our community like you.

Thank you for being here to complete the experience that is live theatre. Please lean in and rediscover The Crucible.

– Emilia Sargent, Producing Artistic Director, TampaRep, September 2023