Student Blog: John Proctor is the Villain: Finding Pieces of Theatre to Connect to

Finding shows to connect to is so important as a young performer and seeing John Proctor is the Villain its closing weekend two weeks after I moved to New York was an experience that I will never forget. The point of theatre is to reach people, even more intimately than TV and film.  I am curious about which play or musical speaks to people, sometimes in a way that other media can’t.  So when a piece of art touches me and makes me think, I want to dissect it, thus falling in love with what theatre can do all over again.

It furthered my love for feminist theatre, was written in a relatable and casual tone, and was the first piece of theatre I have seen that accurately reflects the teenaged girl experience. I saw it with a friend and my roommate and we were a puddle of tears during the performance and hours later - the security guard at the stage door brought us tissues because we were such a mess. The way it gives the young women in the story the vocabulary that they did not have before to express their own experiences is so important. Therefore, it gives modern audience members from all over the country the same new vocabulary and a community to relate to and discuss with.

The vibe in the audience really stuck with me. The sense of togetherness that was felt in the theatre was unlike any theatre experience I have witnessed.  The Booth Theatre was full of multi generations of frustrated women, crying together, consoling each other, and sharing opinions and stories. A middle aged woman sat next to me and rubbed my back as I uncontrollably sobbed during the slushie scene that perfectly depicted the modern teenage girl experience. It held men of all ages whose eyes were opened to the experience of their peers that is so easily hidden and unrecognized. Most importantly for me as an 18 year old young woman, it was filled with girls who saw themselves on stage. They felt seen as they saw their own traumatic experiences, teenage love of Taylor Swift, and the female relationships and village that are crucial to coming of age played out on stage.

After seeing the play, I did a deep dive on the playwright, Kimberly Belflower, and fell in love with her writing and how she writes teenage girls. She doesn’t write them too angsty and sad, she doesn’t write them too charactery and over-the-top, but she finds that perfect balance that I, personally, related to so much. These themes of sexual assault in high schools have been potrayed many times, but this one specifically had a natural tone and brought up perspectives that I had never thought of before. When thinking of sexual assault we are always told to believe the woman and to villainize the man - rightfully so. However, the situation with Ivy, her dad, and his mistress, brought a new perspective to this situation that I had never thought of before. I found myself gaining empathy for the side I had previously judged so quickly. Each of the girls is so whole and natural that I found myself crying at scenes without as much weight to them because of how accurately the female experience was portrayed. I saw a little piece of myself and my friends in each of the girls and watching their everyday interactions, laughs, and cries made me so proud to be a woman. 

As a directing major, I found the directorial choices to be so intentional and crucial to setting the tone of the play and moving the story forward. The costumes were accurate to what teenage girls wear today. I am so sick of seeing female costumes that are way out of style as it takes me out of the story completely because all I can think is “what in the world is she wearing”. However, these costumes were accurate and each girl had their own personal style that stayed trendy, but reflected each of their personalities. The set was so detailed and truly looked like an everyday public school classroom, complete with cringy motivational quotes on the wall, beat up desks, and smudged leftover chalk on the chalkboard. The amount of detail blew me away. I loved how when they opened the door to leave the classroom, you could see a glimpse of the lockers in the hallway. Everything was thought out, so you stayed enveloped in the story the whole time. The lighting and sound choices were also super effective. A moment that really stuck with me was when Shelby broke the news to the whole class that Mr. Smith sexually assaulted her. For about 5 seconds after that bomb was dropped, the lights flashed, a heartbeat sound effect was used, and the audience got that moment to pick their jaws up from the floor and catch their breath. I have noticed that the director, Danya Taymor, uses this flashy lights and heartbeat sound combination in many of her productions and think it is a really powerful way to sync up the audience’s heartbeats and bring them further into the story.

Seeing this production in a time like now, where women's rights are being discussed and played with everyday by men who have nothing to do with the consequences of their actions, made a big impact on me. Seeing these girls realize their independence and community filled me with so much pride and hope for the future. I grew up in a very liberal area in southern California, where I never really had to question my freedom compared to my male peers. My eyes have recently been opened as I hear stories of classmates and roommates here at school who have had different experiences than I have. Hearing about the lack of sexual education in parts of our country, made this play feel all the more relevant and important for young girls to experience. By giving women the vocabulary and space to discuss their frustrations, issues, and traumas makes us feel so much less alone. The fact that these girls did not learn and grow from their schoolbooks, relatives, or teachers, but each other perfectly depicted the importance of having a village to lean on.

Seeing this production changed my perspective on the impact that theatre can have and made me all the more grateful and excited for the future and stories that I can’t wait to tell. We need to keep giving young women these resources to form communities and educate themselves throughout the country to prevent our rights from being further stripped away for future generations. It is so important for theatre goers to find pieces that they can connect to and learn from. Every woman should read or watch this play once, and every man should experience it twice to get a close up lens at the everyday experiences of our peers that are so easily overlooked.

When theatre affects someone, it tends to be forever.  Whether it be a play, musical or something more avant garde.  That’s what makes art so important and beautiful.  Peeling apart what makes it connect is a way to keep the connection alive and go deeper into the material.That’s what makes art, and for me theatre, so important and beautiful.