DAUGHTER
daughter is a project to rewrite Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, working from his source material to construct a new work of music-theater — a rebellious reclamation of the story of the Salem witch trials through the embodied experiences of young female-identified performers.
In daughter, the haunting poetry of the trials’ historical court transcripts – feverishly documented by the male authorities of Salem in the 1690’s — is collaged with a contemporary poetry that gives voice to young women today. The text is performed by young actors and the libretto is sung by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
While writing The Crucible, which is taught as American history, Arthur Miller worked primarily from court documents produced during the trials and was particularly struck by a single description in the transcripts of a physical interaction between two young women. His interpretation of that fragment was shaped by his personal experience and recent affair with Marilyn Monroe, and on it Miller hinged his construction of the fictional story at the center of The Crucible, in which a young woman’s sexuality destroys a man and a community. Based on the same transcripts that inspired Miller, daughter explores the complexity of storytelling and undoes the perception of female sexuality as villainous, uncovering the making of meaning in the
context of our past.
Set in a courtroom, we witness the performers as they embody the text, reenact the trials, and ultimately stage a rebellion in which they find power and reclamation, overturning the order of the courtroom and creating a new narrative.
daughter is an intergenerational celebration of the felt and female power. It is a reclamation of a moment in history and an anthem for girls.
Developed and Produced by Beth Morrison Projects in association with Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Development History — Spring 2022 — Workshop at Calarts
Production Forces — Youth Chorus
CREATIVE TEAM
COMPOSER — MOLLY JOYCE
DIRECTOR — ZOE AJA MOORE
CONDUCTOR — DIANNE BERKUN-MENAKER
CREATIVE TEAM
MOLLY JOYCE
COMPOSER
DIANNE BERKUN-MENAKER
CONDUCTOR
ZOE AJA MOORE
CO-CREATOR & DIRECTOR
