FIU Theatre Preview: mystery and intrigue in “John Proctor is the Villain”

Gabriela Danger | Assistant Entertainment Director

Even a place like a high school English classroom can be full of twists and turns. 

Or so that’s what you’ll learn when watching “John Proctor is the Villain”, a play by Kimberly Belflower being put on by FIU Theatre tonight. 

The play follows a group of high school students reading “The Crucible” in their English class, and the discoveries they make as they unpack the classic work. 

The show is meant to serve as a commentary on contemporary events, as well as a critique on “The Crucible” itself. The title of the play even turns it on its head– the titular John Proctor is the protagonist of the text. 

“It is a play about a world that all FIU students are very familiar with. It is about high school, with all its secrets and lies. It is about the betrayals and bonds you find there,” said director Michael Yawney. 

“At our first meeting, so many of the students said that they had seen events in their schools similar to scenes in the play.”

To really embody the spirit of these high school girls, the actors really had to get in a more “teenage” headspace. 

In the script, the characters are meant to talk just like high schoolers. It’s a way of speaking that isn’t always considered “academic” in any way, but which makes the play even more immersive and realistic.

Actor Kailee Larmon, who plays Shelby in the play, said about her role, “Throughout every show and every character you play, it’s a challenge trying to figure out what makes [the character] tick. So I had a hard time trying to really get to the core of [Shelby], of what makes her bloom. 

“But I think that I’ve gone to a place where me and her are one now. She connects to me, and I connect to her,” Larmon said. 

“She makes me feel like a 16 year old with my costume on. So the costumes really help with that, and also our set. I feel like I’m truly in a high school English classroom, Which is like, terrifying,” Larmon laughed. 

Actor Isabella Burgos, who plays Beth, spoke on her role as well, “I feel like, in a very subtle way, I was like Beth. I cared a lot about academics, and I was really quiet, and really determined, but I think I’ve kind of grown out of that. So I think playing her has made me reconnect with parts of who I used to be.”

Isabella Burgos rehearsing as Beth | Photo courtesy of Ivan Lopez

This story sees many of the characters going through personal changes as they navigate an often tumultuous high school existence. 

“They want the freedom to be themselves, but learn how hard that is,” Said Yawney.

“John Proctor” is also a story that hits close to home for many. First thought up in 2018 and only largely performed more recently, the issues and criticisms explored in its story are ones that both actors and viewers can relate to more personally due to proximity in time.  

Although the play’s setting of small town Georgia isn’t exactly like Miami, Yawney said: “l think the hardest thing about this play is how close to us it is. Most of the characters are young people living in the South.  We are not building a fantasy for the audience—we are building a reality. That means we have to get it right, both emotionally and physically.”

Director Miachel Yawney | Photo courtesy of Ivan Lopez

The themes of the play deal in uplifting voices not usually heard, particularly that of women.

“It’s about empowering women’s voices,” Kailee Larmon said firmly. 

“Young girls often get pushed to the side because they’re emotional and they’re dramatic, when, in reality, young girls’ voices are just as pertinent and powerful as old white men’s voices. So yeah, it’s about empowering women’s voices, but specifically young women, and how young women in this society can make a difference, and will, if society lets them.”

For the team, what makes this show stand out is the collaboration and willingness to work together that took the production to the next level. 

“I think the easiest part about the production is that our director is so good with working with people our age, and he knows how to talk to someone in a way that they’ll understand,” Burgos said. 

“So I think connecting with the core of our characters [was easy], because he kind of formulated our characters around who we are, and he talked to us in a way where we could understand how to play our character. So I think the easiest part was trusting the director,” Burgos said. 

“Our stage manager, Isa Tejera, was absolutely brilliant and facilitating rehearsals and making sure everything goes smoothly, knowing the actors and making sure (they) know what’s going on.” Larmon said. 

“Theater is communication.” Larmon continued. “Communication and the arts. It all goes hand in hand. So, the communication […] was very pertinent in making this production come to life.”

Actors rehearsing “John Proctor is the Villain” | Photo courtesy of Ivan Lopez

As the deceptions and lies come to a head, the audience will be left on the edge of their seat to witness the class’s final project. 

“I think the best way to go into this play is going in blind.” Larmon said. 

If you want to experience the “allure, twists, and turns” of “John Proctor is the Villain”, it will be playing tonight, Sept. 27, until Oct. 6 at FIU’s very own Wertheim Performing Arts Center. 

Tickets are on sale at theatre.fiu.edu.