It may have been written in the 1950s, and its events might be set in a 1690s Puritan colony, but “The Crucible” has a message for all time.

So says Wendy Putzler, who is directing Flathead High School’s production of the Arthur Miller play.

“We’re really trying to play up the idea that mass hysteria happens, not just in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692,” she said.

She cited as evidence reports from a New York high school, where several girls experienced a mysterious illness in 2012, an occurrence some have diagnosed as mass hysteria. Putzler also pointed to the effect social media can have on promoting panic.

“Mass hysteria happens all the time,” she said. “It’s how you react to that hysteria and whether you allow it to overcome you.”

“The Crucible” is set during the Salem Witch Trials and follows several citizens accused of witchcraft. Miller’s play was intended to draw parallels between the infamous trials and the Red Scare of the 1950s, when suspected communists were blacklisted in the United States.

Flathead High’s theater department decided to tackle the play after the school’s International Baccalaureate classes studied “The Crucible.”

“I thought it would be a great idea to get the IB classes involved,” Putzler said. “Since they were already studying the play, they could kind of be part of the process.”

As part of their testing in the spring, International Baccalaureate students have to present a director’s vision for a play, Putzler explained. That vision must include everything from staging to costuming to lighting and sound.

“This was a way to do that as a practice before their final test,” Putzler said.

Four classes presented director’s visions for “The Crucible,” and Putzler cherry-picked ideas to use in the production.

“I used a lot of the lighting ideas,” she said. “There are some special [spotlights] to symbolically represent some of the pieces in the play.”

Putzler said she also used some students’ costume ideas.

“Some groups wanted to see the Puritan look, with big bibs and bonnets. But some classes went for the idea that since it could happen at any time, it should be a more generic kind of costuming to give the idea that it could be a timeless piece,” she said.

The cast of “The Crucible” is one of the largest Putzler has worked with in recent years; there are 22 students in the play. Putzler said she typically directs smaller, one-act plays for all-district drama festivals. But the experience has been enjoyable for the teacher, who is off on maternity leave this year.

“It’s been great. The cast has been wonderful,” she said. “I forget that when you have that many students in the process, how many ideas come to fruition. You can glean ideas from the students.”

That collaboration between students and teachers has been one of the best parts of the experience, she added. She has also enjoyed the students’ enthusiasm for the material.

“I think it is just ... seeing how excited the kids can be about something that happened hundreds of years ago,” she said.

Kristi Albertson, editor of This Week in the Flathead, may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.