SALEM, MA — Salem residents are invited to attend a free performance of "Becky Nurse of Salem" on Friday as Salem State University's Center for Creative and Performing Arts and Theatre and Speech Department continue the show's final weekend in Salem.
Friday's 7:30 p.m. showing is free to Salem residents with ID showing proof of residence.
The contemporary play by Sarah Ruhl follows Becky Nurse, a modern-day descendant of Salem Witch Trials victim Rebecca Nurse who works as a tour guide in Salem's tourism industry.
The story focuses on a woman confronting challenges that may appear to define her while revealing the humans inside the noise of history.
The production is part of Salem's Haunted Happenings tourism season, when many local storytellers share the city's history through walking tours and guided visits to historic properties.
The play asks audiences to consider whose stories are remembered, whose are overlooked, and how communities respond to people facing hardship today.
"This production is our contribution to the ongoing community conversation about what we remember, what we forget, and how we choose to tell the stories of our past." Director Julie Kiernan said. "The Salem Witch Trials remind us that societies often fail to hear people clearly. We sort them into categories. We reduce them to stereotypes. We decide who is credible and who is not."
Kiernan also connected the play's themes to present-day struggles.
"In Ruhl's play, Becky is not trapped by witchcraft but by systems: poverty, healthcare gaps, addiction, grief, aging, employment insecurity, and assumptions about who she is before she ever speaks for herself," she wrote. "Her struggles echo those of many people in our own communities today."
"Becky Nurse of Salem" continues Oct. 23-25 at the Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, 356 Lafayette Street.
Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday's performance starts at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15, or $10 for seniors, and are free for students under 18 or with an ID.
The production does contain mature themes and language and is not suitable for children younger than 16 years old.
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