The Crucible

Texas State University, Mainstage Theatre - October 2018

By Arthur Miller

Michael Costello, Director

Cheri Prough DeVol, Scenic Designer

Madison Cagle, Costume Designer

Carlos Nine, Lighting Designer

Gallows

2.1 Transition

1.2 Transition

2.2 Transition

Courtesy of Texas State University Department of Theatre and Dance

The Crucible was my first foray into composing original music for a live production, while also being the final production of my college experience. The director's overarching vision of this show aimed at combining 3 related periods of history together: the Salem witch trials in 1692, McCarthyism and the 2nd Red Scare in the early 1950's, and the present. Each individual part of the design took elements of each of these periods to create a mash-up of inspirations.

For my part, I wanted to evoke the long-standing sentiment that "rock is the devil's music," to accompany the play's thematic elements with a heavier hand. I also leaned heavily into the horror aspects of the play, creating unnerving bits of cinematic music to accompany the trial scene that could be called by stage management at the appropriate times. The final, morbid moments of the show include several hangings that happen off stage, and our director wanted the audience to feel the weight of their deaths - so I did my own foley work to craft that sound as well.

1.1 Transition

Trial Sequence