When audiences attend the School of the Arts’ production of The Crucible, they will be met with a performance that is unique in more ways than one. In particular, the cast is a little more connected than your average cast and crew. Cilla and Goldie Harrison, members of the main cast, are a mother-daughter duo who are walking their educational journeys side by side, on and off the stage.
Cilla and Goldie are students in the Department of Theatre’s acting program and are both sophomores. While The Crucible is the first opportunity they’ve had to perform together at UVU, this is not the first time that these two generations have shared the spotlight. Mother and daughter also developed their working relationship when Goldie was the teacher’s assistant for classes Cilla taught at the Utah Conservatory for the Performing Arts (COPA). Additionally, Cilla and Goldie performed with The Grassroots Shakespeare Company over the summer, traveling across Utah to perform some of theatre’s greatest classics.
"We love to collaborate,” Cilla said. “It’s like we read each other’s minds and become one brain and four arms.”
However, the arts are more than just a mother-daughter journey in their family. Every member of the Harrison clan has made or is making a career in the arts industry, shining a light on the many vocations available in the creative fields. Cilla’s husband is an actor, performing in commercials and recording audiobooks. One son, Seven, graduated from UVU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, while the other son, Basil, studied art and now uses his talents to design and build elaborate set pieces for the School of the Arts productions.
Having seen her family thrive in creative careers, Cilla encourages others to pursue the same path. “Absolutely go for it. There are millions of legitimate paying show business jobs, and you are talented and smart enough to have these jobs.” Cilla said.
The Harrison family dynamic is a mirror of the overall spirit of partnership behind the creation of The Crucible. This production is not just a standard play — it is a collaboration between all four departments of the School of the Arts, an event that rarely happens due to the coordination required. The stage is set with a 15-foot-tall tree sculpture that was created by the Department of Art & Design, while the intermission music is an original score by the Commercial Music students. However, one of the most prominent combinations of disciplines comes through the interplay of acting and dance woven into the performance.
Each of the women of the main cast has a shadow character, called a primitive, who represents the character’s thoughts and what they wish they could express while confined by the restrictions of the Puritan culture in Salem. “I’ve never done anything like this,” said Goldie. “Dance and theatre can have such different cultures; we really get to experience blending two disciplines.”
This unique approach brings new depth to Arthur Miller’s classic, allowing audiences to witness the inner battles of the characters in a way that feels both raw and vulnerable. The result is a production that pushes beyond tradition and invites viewers to engage with the story on a more visceral level.
Don’t miss it when Cilla and Goldie hit the Noorda Center stage! You can still see The Crucible for its final performances this weekend. Tickets can be purchased at the Blair Family Box Office or online. You won’t want to miss this collaboration between all four departments of the School of the Arts. In Cilla and Goldie Harrison’s parting words, “No one has ever seen The Crucible like this.”
