John Proctor is the Villain at PTC

When I learned that John Proctor is the Villain would open the 2026-2027 season at PTC, I could hardly contain my excitement! It instantly became my most anticipated show this fall and I was so happy to see it last night. Beth (Skye Alyssa Friedman), Nell (Rocky Anicette), Ivy (Adri Cumming), Raelynn (Alex Humphreys), Mason (Gage Martinez), and Lee (Carson Stewart) are high school students in a small rural town in Georgia. Their English teacher, Mr. Smith (Colby Strong), assigns them The Crucible, Arthur Miller's classic play set during the Salem witch trials, and also volunteers to be the advisor for a new feminist club organized by Beth. As the year progresses, their friend Shelby (Allison Dorsey) returns to school after a mysterious absence which fuels gossip about where she has been, Beth is drawn into the #MeToo movement in the media, Raelynn wants to break up with her boyfriend Lee after he cheats on her with Shelby, and Ivy's father is accused of sexual harassment which causes a scandal in the small town. Life seems to be imitating art as they study The Crucible and, during one particularly heated class discussion, Shelby disagrees with Mr. Smith's view that John Proctor is a hero for choosing death over a lie and asserts that he is actually the villain because he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the teenager Abigail Williams. She then makes an allegation against Mr. Smith which divides the group because he is their favorite teacher. Shelby and Raelynn, the only one who believes her, eventually present their final project on The Crucible which imagines a conversation between Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams (and includes an interpretive dance) during which the characters break free from John Proctor prompting several to break free from Mr. Smith. I found this to be fascinating because Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a lens with which to view the McCarthy era in the 1950s and now it is being used as a lens with which to view the #MeToo era today. It is just so clever in the way it explores the abuse of power, the blaming of victims, and the silencing of young women from multiple perspectives. Despite its powerful themes, it is also quite funny and the audience laughed out loud multiple times (I laughed especially hard when Mr. Smith assigns parts from The Crucible for the students to read aloud and has to keep reminding Mason that it is his turn because I could definitely relate). I loved the use of pop songs by female artists, especially Beyonce, Lorde, and Taylor Swift (I also laughed out loud at a discussion of "Dear John" and a very well-timed quote from "We Are Never Getting Back Together") and the final scene involving the aforementioned interpretive dance to Lorde's "Green Light" had the audience cheering (the energy in the crowd was palpable). The scenes are very quick (I don't know how some of them changed costumes so fast) and take place a single location, a classroom with desks and chairs that are reconfigured by the actors, but so much happens and the dialogue is incredibly sharp. Finally, everyone in the ensemble cast is fantastic but I was particularly struck by Friedman because her character's worldview is challenged the most and she portrays this uncertainty extremely well (she is also responsible for the most dramatic moment in the show in my opinion). I loved this on so many levels and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) but act quickly because, even though the run has been extended to October 3, there is limited availability due to the small size of the theater.

Note:  This production had to be moved to the Courage Theater on the campus of Westminster University because of a flood. I got both my undergraduate and graduate degrees there and I was even an adjunct instructor in the education department for many years so returning to campus brought back many wonderful memories for me!