Playgoer’s Guide to ISU Theatre’s production of John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower.
John Proctor is the Villain is playwright Kimberly Belfower’s response to the #MeToo movement. The #MeToo hashtag movement went viral following accusations of sexual misconduct against powerful producer Harvey Weinstein went public. This is most likely due to the media attention that this case brought as the MeToo movement has been around since its founding in 2006 by Tarana Burke (sexual abuse survivor, activist, woman of color). Burke intended to bring “resources, support, and pathways to healing where none existed before,” particularly for young women of color from low-wealth communities (https://metoomvmt.org/get-to-know-us/history-inception/).
#MeToo seeks to shed light on an epidemic. Victims of sexual assault/abuse are often reluctant to speak out for various reasons, including fear, threat of humiliation, victim shaming/blaming, and lack of support.
The Playwright
Kimberly Belflower is a playwright and educator originally from a small town in Appalachian Georgia. Her plays include John Proctor Is The Villain, Lost Girl, Rebel People, and Saint Pigtail. She holds an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin and teaches playwriting at Emory University in Atlanta.
The following quoted material is from The Washington Post article by Geoffry Himes of an interview with Belflower, posted May 5, 2022, at:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/05/05/studio-theatre-john-proctor-is-the-villain/
“When people teach ‘The Crucible’ or present it onstage,” Belflower says, “Abigail is often dehumanized and given far more power than teenage girls ever had at that time. It’s true that she falsely accuses innocent people, and it’s true that John Proctor stands up against a corrupt court. Yet he never acknowledges the damage he’s done to Abigail. I don’t know if there’s really a villain in ‘The Crucible.’ Everyone is too complicated. My title is more of an intentional provocation.”
“When people started calling the #MeToo movement a witch hunt, that made me think of Miller’s play. My father is a farmer who raises grass-fed beef, but when I told him the story of ‘The Crucible,’ I said, ‘John Proctor is the villain,’ and that phrase stuck with me.”
For more information about the playwright: https://theater.emory.edu/people/bios/belflower-kimberly.html
Kimberly Belflower Interview: John Proctor is the Villain
A look between the text of the play John Proctor is the Villain with writer Kimberly Belflower.
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