Gregory Johnson, Superintendent | Oak Park And River Forest High School
Gregory Johnson, Superintendent | Oak Park And River Forest High School
Oak Park and River Forest High School will open its theater season this Friday, September 26, with a student production of Arthur Miller’s "The Crucible" in the Little Theater. The play explores themes of truth, integrity, and courage.
The production is directed by Linda Burns, who teaches history at the school and also serves as director of the Little Theater. Burns said the show gives students an opportunity to engage with important ideas that remain relevant today. “I’m really excited about this play because the questions of truth, authority, and personal risk at the heart of The Crucible feel just as relevant now as they did in Salem,” Burns said.
Students are involved in all aspects of the production, from stage management and sound design to costumes and set construction. This year’s cast includes nearly 20 performers along with a crew of about 20 students. The team is introducing new approaches such as creating live soundscapes rather than using pre-recorded sounds to help immerse audiences in the play’s historical setting.
“It’s the ultimate project-based learning,” Burns explained. “Students are problem-solving, leading, and making creative decisions in real time. They take ownership of the production in a way that really prepares them for the real world.”
Burns described "The Crucible" as an opportunity for meaningful reflection for both students and families: “It’s not a show for little kids,” she noted, “but it’s an important one for families to experience together and talk about. These are universal themes that matter in today’s world.”
Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights on September 26–27 and October 3–4 at 7 p.m., with tickets available online or at the door. Adult tickets cost $8; tickets for students and seniors are $6.
Oak Park and River Forest High School serves grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 3,393 students during the 2019-2020 school year according to Illinois Report Card data (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). Of these students, grade 10 had the highest concentration at 26.2 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/), while grades 9, 11, and 12 each accounted for about a quarter of total enrollment (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The student body was composed of approximately 56.9 percent white students, 18.2 percent black students, 12.6 percent Hispanic students, and 3.8 percent Asian students during that same period (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
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