John Proctor Is the Villain Closes on Broadway September 7

John Proctor Is the Villain Closes on Broadway September 7

The work is a modern reexamination of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible set at a rural Georgia high school.

Broadway’s John Proctor is the Villain completes its thrice-extended run at the Booth Theatre September 7.

Performances began March 20 ahead of an April 14 opening night. The show has become a surprise hit for Broadway debut playwright Kimberly Belflower, after making its world premiere in 2022 at Washington, D.C.’s Studio Theatre, becoming a cult favorite thanks to a handful of regional and college productions. 

The work, a modern reexamination of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible set at a rural Georgia high school, was commissioned by The Farm Theater in 2017. Following workshops at Farm Theater and Ojai Playwrights Conference, the play premiered at Centre College in 2018, and has since been produced at Furman University, Rollins College, Washington D.C.’s Studio Theatre, and Boston’s Huntington.

Original star Sadie Sink was reportedly instrumental in bringing the work to Broadway, where it appears to have resonated with younger theatregoers in particular, becoming a certified hit. (Sink is also part of the starry team bringing the play to the screen.) The play was nominated for seven 2025 Tony Awards, including Best Play, Direction of a Play, Lighting Design of a Play, Sound Design of a Play, and three performance categories, including Leading Actress in a Play for Sink, Featured Actor in a Play for Gabriel Ebert, and Featured Actress in a Play for Fina Strazza.

READ: How Kimberly Belflower Got Lorde to Sign Off on Using ‘Green Light’ in John Proctor is the Villain

Chiara Aurelia succeeded Sink as Shelby Holcomb July 15, joining the original company including Nihar Duvvuri (Romeo + Juliet) as Mason Adams, Tony winner and 2025 Tony nominee Ebert (Matilda) as Carter Smith, Molly Griggs (Hello, Dolly!) as Bailey Gallagher, Maggie Kuntz (The Outsiders) as Ivy Watkins, Hagan Oliveras (Our Town) as Lee Turner, Morgan Scott (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) as Nell Shaw, 2025 Tony nominee Strazza (Matilda) as Beth Powell, and 2025 Drama Desk Award winner Amalia Yoo (No Hard Feelings) as Raelynn Nix. Tony winner Danya Taymor is at the helm.

The production understudies are Noah Pacht, Fiona Robberson, Shian Tomlinson, Garrett Young, and Victoria Vourkoutiotis.

Taymor’s creative team includes scenic designer AMP featuring Teresa Williams, costume designer Sarah Laux, lighting designer Natasha Katz, sound designer Palmer Hefferan, projection designer Hannah Wasileski, movement director Tilly Evans-Krueger, hair, wig and make-up designer J. Jared Janas, and intimacy coordinator Ann James. Gigi Buffington serves as voice and dialect coach. Casting is by Taylor Williams.

Sue Wagner, John Johnson, John Mara Jr., Runyonland, and Eric Falkenstein are producing.

Visit JohnProctoristheVillainPlay.com.

0
of

Photos: Chiara Aurelia in John Proctor is the Villain