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Student actors, wearing period costumes for The Crucible, are sitting and chatting in a dressing room
All photos by Alex Franklin Photography
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A Play for This Moment

In a student production of The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s story of fear and scapegoating takes on fresh relevance Read More

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Directed by Anya Ivantchenko, a drama specialist expecting to graduate in 2027, the Trinity College Dramatic Society production was the largest show she has led to date. With a cast and crew of 40, it was also a test of coordination, trust and collective effort. “It was not just my show,” Ivantchenko says. “It was everyone’s show.”

Ivantchenko pitched The Crucible last spring, drawn to Arthur Miller’s exploration of fear, power and vilification. Written in 1953 as an allegory for McCarthy-era witch hunts, the drama’s themes resonated with her interest in history and politics – and the ongoing immigration raids in the U.S.

Rehearsals started in September with about 12 hours a week, intensifying as opening night approached. Balancing that schedule with coursework was a challenge, Ivantchenko says – but a familiar one for students involved in creative projects outside the classroom. The reward came in the relationships that formed. Some cast members were longtime friends; others were working in campus theatre for the first time. “You end up with inside jokes, shared references and a real sense of closeness,” she says. “In a big university, that kind of community really matters.”

Support from Hart House Theatre staff, including mentorship from industry professionals, helped sustain the production through inevitable hurdles. For Ivantchenko, the experience reaffirmed both her interest in directing and the power of student theatre to create something larger than any one contributor: a community.

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Hana Lang, in a black lace top and dark-framed glasses, is ironing a grey coat in a large room with white stucco walls and workbenches
Hana Lang, a fourth-year art history student, irons a jacket for Reverend Parris, played by Laurie Campbell. Tasked with overseeing 24 costumes, Lang balanced sewing, dyeing and textile research while collaborating closely with her costuming team and director Anya Ivantchenko. “Seeing everyone’s hard work come together during tech week was incredibly exciting,” she says, noting that attention to detail – even pressing a jacket – helps bring each character to life.
Side view of Judy Wang standing with other student actors in a theatre dressing room with the door open
Judy Wang, a third-year student double majoring in medical anthropology and gender studies, plays two contrasting roles in The Crucible: Betty Parris and marshal John Willard. Acting at U of T since 2024, Wang says the challenge of switching between characters was eased by cast warmups and backstage rituals. “I love meeting new actors and creatives and connecting with a show together,” she says.
Student actors are rehearsing a scene of The Crucible onstage. They appear to be stretching one arm. The stage is lit with different colours, with props of trees on either side and wooden sticks suspended above.
A dressing room mirror showing James Higgins sitting with shaving cream on his face. Grace Cutrim Beben is bending down to shave his throat.
Second-year drama student James Higgins gets a clean shave from makeup designer Grace Cutrim-Beben before stepping into the role of Reverend John Hale. Still in jeans and a tank top, Higgins sips a Red Bull before beginning his warmups, and finding the posture and demeanour his character demands. Hale enters the play as a calm, respected community leader, James explains, “but he gets angry and stressed as he realizes the system doesn’t work.”
Winton Daum operating controls on lighting equipment inside a small, darkly lit theatre control booth
From the tech booth at the back of the theatre, Winton Daum, a second-year student in U of T’s Theatre and Drama Studies joint program with Sheridan College, fine-tunes the show’s lighting. Daum, who has been designing for the stage since Grade 10, sees light as a way to shape how an audience feels from moment to moment.
Bellamy Seal in period costume reflected in a large mirror in a dressing room, with a partial blurry view of two other students in the foreground
A familiar face on U of T stages – having acted in five productions since last year and assisted with costuming on another – Bellamy Seals (centre) loves the collaborative nature of theatre. In this production, they played Susanna Walcott and understudied Mary Warren, finding their way into character through the show’s thoughtfully crafted costumes.
Four instant photos spread out on a table. The photos are of various students from The Crucible cast in costume

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Author image: Scott Anderson

Scott Anderson

Editor, University of Toronto Magazine

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