Simon Higlett, the designer of
The Crucible drew for inspiration on two key sources: the highly dramatic and atmospheric use of light in the paintings of Georges de la Tour, and
photographs showing some of the original timber houses from Salem. Simon worked closely with director Jonathan Church to come up with
set designs for the prologue and each of the four acts. One early idea that survived into the production was
to use lanterns at the beginning of the play and, dramatically, at the close, to represent the people of Salem “holding a lantern and peering into darkness” as Simon put it.
Simon designed the sets by first sitting at his drawing board and making a sketch which he then expanded into a three-dimensional model.
The main limitation was making sure that the set would not only fit the large stage at the Birmingham Rep Theatre, but also the stages in each of the touring venues. Director Jonathan Church tells us that the set design and staging were influenced by
the style of the play that developed over the course of rehearsals, and how they chose to represent certain moments to the audience, like the apparitions that the girls claim to see. Throughout the rehearsals, Simon was an almost constant presence supervising and advising on the building of the set (made in the Birmingham Rep’s own workshops) and, when the set was eventually set up on the stage, hastily making minor alterations and spotting details that were unfinished (such as the rope for a bucket that hadn’t been painted black) and doing it himself.
