PRINCETON, WV (WOAY)- “This high school production is different from a lot of what I’ve seen. And I’m glad that we can put on something very different but very true to our roots and so forth,” said Alexandra Bray, Gideon Hawthorne.
Pikeview High School will be putting on the student-written play “The Devil in Salem.” This show was written by Pikeview senior Emily Janutolo. Janutolo, who is also the director, explains how she felt about bringing her story from her mind to the stage.
“At first, I was kind of nervous, honestly, because I didn’t know how the characters that I wrote on the page would translate to the production. But everyone’s been doing really well with it,” explained Janutolo, Playwright and Student Director. “It’s really amazing seeing that come to life, especially now where we have costumes on, like because it’s our dress rehearsal. So seeing, like, everything come together, set costume, it’s just been amazing.”
The story takes place in the time of the Salem witch trials and is based on “The Crucible.” We follow the story of young Delilah, who is caught between her loyalty to her father and her love for her friend.
“My character is kind of an outcast and she’s between a rock and a hard place. Her best friend is being accused of witchcraft. Her [Delilah] father is the one accusing her,” said Kinsley McCormick, Delilah Hawthorne. “She doesn’t really know what to think, what to do, and she has this huge burden on her shoulders to figure out how to help her friend.”
Even though Delilah is going through this turmoil, her friend Mercy is also struggling with the situation.
“She puts on a confident front like she’s being accused of witchcraft and she’s put on a confident front, but deep down, you know, she’s scared she could be executed,” said Lauren Williams, Mercy Ambrose.
While this is not the first time they put on a student-written production, this certainly will not be the last of them.
The show will be at the Pikeview High School Auditorium this Friday at 6:30 and Saturday at 5.
You can purchase tickets online or at the door.
https://onthestage.tickets/pikeview-high-school-theatre/individual-tickets
View the video below for a preview of the show!
