11/05/2024
An American drama classic is the source for a new show set to make history of its own on Broadway. But before that debut, SUNY Cortland students will get to show lucky audiences what all the hype is about.
“John Proctor is the Villain” — inspired by Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” — will be performed on campus ahead of its professional debut on Broadway next spring.
Shows in the Dowd Fine Arts Center’s Lab Theatre will take place:
- Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m.
Tickets will be available at SUNY Cortland’s online Ticket Office. Discounted prices are offered to students, faculty, staff and senior citizens.
The Performing Arts Department describes “Proctor” as a thought-provoking play that brings together a class of teenagers confronted with a small-town scandal. In class, they study “The Crucible” and, in their world, the “Me Too” movement provides stark comparisons and relevance as they unravel the difference between a witch hunt and the truth.
“The Crucible” is a fictionalized drama about the Salem witch trials. John Proctor was a landowner who stood up for his wife when she was accused of witchcraft and was subsequently accused himself. They both were sentenced to death.
Given the script for “Proctor” by a friend, Director Deena Conley, associate professor and chair of the Performing Arts Department, was instantly hooked.
“The minute I read it I decided that I would like to bring it forth to the faculty to talk about producing it because it’s contemporary,” Conley said. “It’s about many issues that our young people, especially women, are facing today.”
Written by playwright Kimberly Belflower, and first performed in 2022, “Proctor” has since built up a reputation as an entertaining, poignant play. That success will lead to its debut at the Booth Theater on Broadway in New York City in March. Luckily, Cortland’s audience will see what all the hype is about first.
To perform a new show still growing in popularity is a great chance for the students in the cast and crew.
“You’re not relying on anybody else’s interpretation because it’s really not out there,” Conley said. “You can look up clips from other places, but I don’t tend to do that. We get to put our Cortland stamp on this production.”
With the show’s modern view of a play long enshrined among theater’s greats, the characters begin to question who the hero in the story truly is, discovering more about themselves along the way.
“This rehearsal process has been incredibly fulfilling,” said Heather Hayes, a junior musical theatre major playing Shelby Holcomb, an outspoken student with a unique perspective. “It’s wonderful to hear a story that revolves around students and younger generations.”
Hayes described the play as “funny and heartwarming” while still tackling serious topics that deserve attention.
“The entire cast is amazing, and we can’t wait to share this beautiful show with everyone.”
In a theater world where most playwrights are men, a show written by a woman that offers a range of excellent parts for women is important, according to Conley. She noted that one of her department’s goals is finding plays and musicals that elevate female roles with the same level of focus and complexity found in many male parts.
That the show is written with younger characters in mind makes it an ideal production for college students.
“We often have our college-age actors playing roles where they’re much older than they really are, which is regular in academic theater,” she said. “These characters are very close to their own ages. And that’s important because they can bring their own perspectives and beliefs to these characters.”
While the show is a drama, there are moments of comedy throughout as well that, to Conley, are a sign of a good play.
“That’s what is done in contemporary plays, they mix the genres. A lot of writing, just like in television shows or film, you’re mixing those genres because that’s a reflection of life. There’s some really funny moments and some very serious, serious moments.”