After reading Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and watching the National Theater’s production of the play, the 11th grade English Honors Seminar, accompanied by their teacher Penny Ratcliffe, and High School Assistant Head Anne Cohen, went to see John Proctor is the Villain at the Booth Theater on Broadway.
John Proctor is the Villain is an incredible and moving new play, written by Kimberly Belflower, directed by Danya Taymor, and featuring Sadie Sink (of Stranger Things) which has been nominated for seven Tony awards. In this play, a fictional 11th grade class is studying Miller’s play about the Salem witch trials, and, as they study, realizations and allegations about sexual assault arise. Ultimately, during the class’s final project, students reveal how John Proctor, a character in The Crucible, is the villain rather than the hero.
Junior Yalei Ravin, a student in the Honors Seminar, said, “I thought the play was amazing and incredibly powerful. It is so relevant both to our current political and social climate, and also to the books we’ve been reading in class.”
A poll was sent to the Seminar’s group chat, and all members agreed that they either liked or loved the play – not a single student had negative reviews!
Junior Gila Lehon, another student in the class, said, “It was incredible. I loved how it engaged with The Crucible text itself a ton, since we just read it, but at the same time stood on its own as a work of art with its own, modern message.” Lehon plans to see the play again!
Students appreciated the modern references, such as pop music, the #MeToo movement, and Taylor Swift lore. They also believed the message to be striking and crucial. Thank you so much to Penny Ratcliffe and Anne Cohen for chaperoning us on this amazing experience!