Sadie Sink to Star in New Broadway Play
Sadie Sink, renowned for her captivating performance in the hit series āStranger Things,ā is set to take the stage next spring in a thought-provoking new Broadway play. This production centers around a group of high school students engaging with Arthur Millerās classic āThe Crucibleā while simultaneously grappling with the profound implications of the #MeToo movement.
The play, titled John Proctor Is the Villain, is a comedic drama penned by Kimberly Belflower. It has embarked on a unique journey, having already been licensed for nearly 100 nonprofessional productions across various high schools and colleges, prior to its arrival on Broadway. Typically, the trajectory of a play is the oppositeāstarting on Broadway and then moving to regional theaters before being adapted for educational venues.
Set against the backdrop of spring 2018, John Proctor Is the Villain unfolds primarily within a classroom in rural Georgia. Here, a group of juniors in an honors English class is delving into āThe Crucible,ā which examines the Salem witch trials of the 17th century. Concurrently, these students are facing resistance as they endeavor to establish a feminism club, highlighting the contemporary struggles of young activists.
The play features a diverse cast of nine characters: seven students, their English teacher, and a guidance counselor. It intricately explores how the studentsā beliefs and values are tested by real-life events that resonate with their own experiences.
As Belflower, 37, an assistant professor of dramatic writing at Emory University in Atlanta, describes, āAs the play progresses, the characters find themselves confronting deeply personal dilemmas, forcing them to reevaluate their convictions and the individuals they choose to trust.ā Drawing from her own experiences of growing up in a small conservative community in Georgia, Belflower recalls reading āThe Crucibleā during her high school years.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind her work, she states, āIn the wake of the #MeToo movement, I recall how Woody Allen referred to it as a witch hunt. It sparked a thought in my theater-loving mind: āI should revisit āThe Crucible.āā Upon rereading it, I was struck by how different my perspective was compared to my earlier interpretations.ā This revelation led her to a profound insight, culminating in the phrase, āJohn Proctor is the villain,ā which she shared during a conversation with her father.