The Flathead High School theater department will explore “The Crucible,” Arthur Miller's classic story of lust, revenge and deceit, Feb. 21-23.

Show time is 7 p.m. nightly in the David M. Hashley Theatre at Flathead High. 

Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior citizens. Tickets are available at the school’s main office, Photovideo Plus and The Bookshelf.

Seating for this production is limited, so people are encouraged to pick up their tickets early.

The story follows the lives of several citizens accused of witchcraft, most notably Elizabeth Proctor. After Elizabeth is taken to jail, her husband, John Proctor, passionately fights for her release and makes accusations about the community’s slow deterioration and onset of madness. However, a previous affair between John and one of the main accusers, Abigail Williams, complicates matters.

Depicting events from the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693, Miller’s allegoric play draws parallels between the trials and the 1950s practice of blacklisting of suspected communists.

“When Arthur Miller wrote ‘The Crucible,’ he chose the Salem Witch Trials to share his own persecution during the Red Scare,” said director Wendy Putzler. “But ‘The Crucible’ is also about ‘breaking charity’ with others to put one's greed before another’s needs. Miller shows how easily these breaks of charity can cycle into hysteria.”

Presenting this drama in an intimate black-box theater setting of fewer than 150 seats allows the audience to become members of the Puritan courtroom and to examine the characters of “The Crucible” from a personal point of view.

“I selected the play because of the multifaceted characters. Even though we want to hate these people for what they do, Miller creates a side to them we want to understand,” Putzler said. “I hope this production pushes the audience o search for the other side of any story. Instead of hating Abigail Williams for screaming, ‘Witch,’ I hope the audience thinks about what drives her to condemn others.”

The theater department is collaborating with the school’s International Baccalaureate Program to develop “The Crucible.” The school hopes it might be the first of an IB theater series in the future.

“The English 12 IB classes studied Miller's ‘The Crucible’ and developed their own director's visions for the play. Several of the ideas for this production can be contributed to their ideas,” Putzler said.

“This production has been a creative process. The cast is amazingly multitalented and filled with ideas to make our audience feel the true impact of what happens when hysteria takes over a community. They are so enthusiastic and excited about sharing Miller's version of this story.”

The cast of “The Crucible” includes Micah Liehr, Zachariah Timm, Paige Swindle, Persephone Schaefer, Elena Ploot, Chloe Newlon, Johannes Grimm, Brittany Kretske, Mackenzie Williams, Danial Power, Jade LeGassey, Camren Lemke, Katie Keller, Karl Boveng, Freya Woidnoick, Alex Weaver, Jake Williams, Jakeb Wilson, Jackson Davey, Brandon Shores, Desirae Fauske, Jay Shonsey, Hannah Peterson and Alaina Mothershead.

Behind the scenes, Sarah Carbajal, Dana Pfeifer, James Early, Keston Hemsley, Ethan Timm, Judah Justine, Tanner Mack and Micah Moore make up the stage, sound and lighting crew.