Swampscott resident Trudi Olivetti is directing The Crucible at Marblehead Little Theater, a production she says resonates deeply with today’s polarized world.

Written by Arthur Miller in 1953, The Crucible dramatizes the Salem witch trials as an allegory for McCarthyism, when Americans were persecuted over alleged communist ties. It won the Tony Award for Best Play and has since become a cornerstone of American drama.

“For Miller in 1953, writing The Crucible was ‘an act of desperation. He recalls the terror he felt at that time, when he and others feared they would be condemned as Communists if they took a stand against McCarthy,’” Olivetti wrote in her director’s notes. “This Pulitzer Prize winning play has a more universal message than an allegory of the ‘Red Scare.’ It is a timeless depiction of the intolerance, hysteria and abuse of power which can tear a community apart.”

The play centers on the Salem witch trials of 1692, when a group of girls accuse locals of witchcraft. Soon others join in with the accusers and a hysteria continues, fueled by personal grudges and social inequities. 

“Their religion was no comfort to them. It was: you were saved or you weren’t,” Olivetti told the Swampscott Tides. “There was a lot of fear of the supernatural, and the devil was real and there were a lot of reports of supernatural events that people have records of, so when people began to think that there were witches, it was a real fear.”

Many people within the play are also historically accurate figures that Miller took “a lot of liberties” with, Olivetti said. 

But Olivetti, who has been associated with the Marblehead Little Theater for almost 15 years and has directed other plays, also said that The Crucible is “timely” as a “cautionary tale.”

“It sort of speaks for itself in a way that I didn’t have to stop the action and say ‘now, you see how this is happening?’” Olivetti said. “No matter what your position is, there’s this terrible polarization in the country. I don’t know how much the arts can change things, but it just gives people things to think about.”

Swampscott residents Dave Foye, Mira Hakstian and Neil Twohig will be in the play as well. Olivetti said that over 50 people auditioned for just 20 parts. 

Foye plays Giles Corey, who was accused of witchcraft and tortured by having stones pressed onto his chest in an attempt to extract names.

“His last words were ‘more weight,’” Foye said. “That part, I believe, is all historically true.”

Foye met Olivetti at a class she put on at the Swampscott Community Arts Center. She asked him to be in a different show at the time, Translations, a three-act play about language, Irish history and cultural imperialism. 

“I’ve done several other shows, musicals,” Foye said. “It’s a blast. I’ve met some really great people here, and I have always felt very included.”

Performances run from October 3 to 19 across three weekends at Marblehead Little Theater, at 12 School St. Tickets are now on sale at MLTLive.org. Advanced reservations are encouraged, as a limited amount of tickets will be available at the door.

Foye said he expects The Crucible to attract “people from far and away.”

“It means everything. I just really love theater,” Olivetti said. “The space itself is really great.”