Spring 2024

JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN
by Kimberly Belflower

  • Guest Directed by Rhys Lovell
  • Scenic Design and Technical Direction by Dathan Powell

Performances in the Studio Theatre, Level 1, Performing Arts Center, UIS Campus

Friday, April 12; Saturday, April 13; Sunday, April 14 & Thursday, April 18; Friday, April 19; Saturday, April 20. (All performances at 7:30pm, except for the Sunday, April 14 Matinee at 2:00pm)

NEW UIS TICKET OFFICE LOCATION

Please visit the NEW location (Level 1 of the Performing Arts Center, in the old Bursar's Office location, near the main "tear drop" entrance to the PAC) of the UIS Ticket Office, M-F: 10-5, for buying your tickets to this production. You may call the UIS Ticket Office at 217-206-6160.

THE STORY OF THE PLAY

At a rural high school in Georgia, a group of lively teens are studying “The Crucible” while navigating young love, sex ed, and a few school scandals. Holding a contemporary lens to the American classic, they begin to question who is really the hero and what is the truth, discovering their own power in the process. Alternately touching and bitingly funny, this new comedy captures a generation in mid-transformation, running on pop music, optimism, and fury, writing their own coming of age story.

  • Winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production of a Play.
  • “A knockout…[John Proctor Is the Villain] is…pushing for a 4.0 GPA.” —Washington Post.
  • “I would urge everyone to see this play.” —Georgetown Dish.
  • “Biting and exquisite.” —MD Theatre Guide.
  • “Operates adroitly as both think-piece and thrilling drama.” —Metro Weekly.
  • “Cracking good theatre…Add it to your ‘must see’ list.’’ —DC Metro Theater Arts.

TIME AND PLACE

Spring Semester, Junior Year, 2019

Helen County High, the only high school in a one-stoplight town, northeast Georgia

MORE ABOUT THE PLAY

Kimberly Belflower's play sounds the alarm, that today's young adults are not satisfied with traditional interpretations of classics, that no longer reflect the world in which we live. "In present day Appalachian Georgia, a high school class explores the seminal American Classic, The Crucible. As scandal swirls in their community and old heroes are unmasked, the English assignment becomes uncomfortably relevant for the students. The line between witch and heroine blurs in this post-Me Too examination of power, love, and sex education."--New Play Exchange Website