My name is Nadia Haswell and I am a junior. I obviously enjoy theatre but outside of that I love to read, hang out with my family (including two-time Emmy award-winning chief meteorologist Rob Haswell), and bus tables at Saint Paul :).
In The Crucible I play Abigail Williams. Abigail is a very headstrong and independent girl who does whatever she can to get her way. And because of this, some may consider her the villain but I beg to differ.
What brought you to join the cast for The Crucible?
Since my very first show at Homestead, I have fallen in love with acting and since then have made it a goal to be in as many main-stage shows and theatre classes as possible.
Do you have any stories from rehearsals?
One of the hardest parts of the show is any time I have to make eye contact with Matthew (who plays John Proctor). During the court scene, there are many moments where John has to look at Abigail while he convinces the court of her lies. However, the first time we ran it I was so caught off guard and whenever he would randomly make eye contact I would always break character. It had even gotten to a point where he had to create a signal for when he was about to look at me so I wouldn’t laugh.
All art comments on something, it aligns itself with current issues. How does this work comment on current social or political issues and has it influenced you?
I feel that The Crucible reflects how easily rumors can spread and how difficult it is to tell right from wrong.
What do you hope the audience will be thinking about as they drive home after this show?
I definitely hope people don’t think I’m actually crazy, but I also hope that people will think about how quickly rumors can spread and the impact of those kinds of lies on a community.
What’s one thing that is different in this play or rehearsal process than anything else we’ve done in the Homestead Theatre Department?
Many aspects of this show are a lot different from anything I’ve done in Homestead theatre, but I think the most different and difficult part is acting out of love. This show is filled with a lot of angst and yelling but the most important note we have gotten from Figg was to ensure that all of our actions are done out of love.
Anything else you want to talk about?
Please go see The Crucible!!
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