The youngest was 13 the others 16, 17 and our Abigail was 21. This was a really positive show for the entire company, as it allowed us to cast from basically every age range which we cater for - from the youth theatre right up to the guys in their 70s who have been with us since the 1960s.
Which did I get more out of? That's a hard call to make. I actually played Hale at 20, with the average age of the cast being 19. It was a uni production and we simply couldn't make the most of it due to limited budget, space and time. Nor was I really of the age to truly feel the part (if you'll excuse how pretentious that sounds). I hadn't the life experience to do it justice.
Putnam (though only present for 2 acts, and the second only having a single line) was a fascinating part to play. He really is reprehensible, selfish and cruel man, only interested in any scenario if he is able to take some kind of advantage from it. He is happy to buy into the notion of Witchcraft because it gives him legitimate claim as to why his children have died in childbirth. One which he feels will absolve him of fault. The choice of words when tells his wife to explain the situation to Rev Parris is quite deliberate "Anne. Tell Mr Parris what you have done!" He blames her for stillbirth, and refuses to contemplate that he may be part of the problem.
He is a horrible man.
You can trace some kind of fingerprint from Putnam on almost every person tried and hanged. Be it personal grudge (Giles Corey in particular) or a grab for land. Whilst he would certainly protest innocence in any such claim publicly, there ca be no doubt that he is guilty of killing his neighbors for personal gain, even if to cover his tracks of such.
