ANTHONY Jenkins of Exit Fool Productions was delighted to secure the rights to The Crucible by Arthur Miller for the company's next production, and doubly pleased to realise that they'd be presenting the drama in Miller's centenary year.

The 1953 play is a dramatised and partially fictionalised story of the Salem witch trials of 1692 and 1693, written as an allegory of McCarthyism in the US, and the production will be directed by Hayley Llewellyn at The Powell Theatre.

The cast of 20 has seen Exit Fool expand to include members of Wye Theatre Company, Hereford Musical Theatre Company and 4Play, with Anthony taking the part of John Proctor and Alex Evans of 4Play playing Reverend Hale.

With opening night on December 2, Anthony admits it hasn't been plain sailing: "It's been trial after trail at the moment," he reveals. "Three of the actors were in HMTC's The Witches of Eastwick so they've only just been able to join rehearsals.

"It's also really difficult with a script like Miller's - you can't paraphrase or cut anything. You have to do it as he wrote it, otherwise it doesn't have the emphasis or passion he intended. We haven't cut anything so it might feel like it's going on for an eternity."

As well as respecting the script, Anthony reveals that extensive research has gone into ensuring authenticity. "At the time The Crucible is set, the American accent as we know it wouldn't have existed. Books about the real John Proctor show that they all went over from England, so we're aiming for a diluted English rural accent."

Following the success of their last production, Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, Anthony and co-director of Exit Fool, Pete Bird, decided to leave comedy behind. "We went through loads of scripts and said 'let's do something challenging,' and to date, this is definitely the most difficult and challenging project we've tackled. I did The Crucible 20 years ago at school and now that I'm the right age I'm looking forward to having a go at it again. It's a bit of a sentimental thing, but it just feels right. With its themes of accusation and chaos, it still relates to life today."

The Crucible runs at The Powell Theatre from Wednesday, December 2 to Saturday, December 5. To book, call