UGA Theatre presents “John Proctor is the Villain”

Set in a high school English classroom in rural Georgia, “John Proctor is the Villain” depicts a group of students as they grapple with Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and discover unsettling parallels to their own lives in the process in UGA Theatre’s next production, “John Proctor is the Villain” by Kimberly Belflower and directed by Sloan Elle Garner.

As the story unfolds, deep-seated secrets surface, challenging their notions of heroism, villainy and who gets to define the narrative. Belflower’s play offers a razor-sharp exploration of gender, power and the stories people inherit and retell:

Since its original workshop production in 2017, “John Proctor is the Villain” has been staged on college campuses and professional theatres across the country, culminating in its upcoming Broadway debut at the Boothe Theatre later this year.

Belflower, an Emory University playwrighting faculty and rural Appalachian herself, strove to imbue the play with an authenticity in its depiction of Southern culture as it relates to young women — a facet of the script that spoke to Garner, who is a Ph.D. student.

“This play is unapologetically Appalachian,” Garner said. “[Belflower] captures the beauty and complexity of the culture, even the more problematic elements. It simultaneously feels deeply personal and universally resonant.”

Julie Ray, head of the theatre and film studies department, is serving as scenic designer and expressed excitement at its modern perspective. “Belflower’s contemporary point-of-view on the challenges and joys of girlhood lends it a timeliness that we feel lucky to engage in, and it’s an added bonus that the work speaks so directly to Georgian audiences.”

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Image: Theatre major Alyssa Halford portrays “Shelby” in “John Proctor is the Villain.” (Photo by Clay Chastain)