The cast and crew of Mount Saint Mary College’s production of John Proctor is the Villain, left to right, front row: Vanessa Mleczko of Bristol, Ill.; Olivia Lotito of Monroe, N.Y.; Kylie Dragonetti of Massapequa, N.Y.; Danielle Petricca of New Hyde Park, N.Y.; and Alexander Florez ’15 of Madison, N.J. Back row: Todd Weaver ’22 of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Lia Abru of Carmel, N.Y.; Bob Houk of Pennsburg, Pa.; Kaelyn Donoghue of Brick, N.J.; and Thomas McGuire of New Windsor, N.Y. Not pictured: Travina Jamwant of Hopewell Junction, N.Y.
The Mount Saint Mary College theatre group will present Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain from Thursday, April 11 through Saturday, April 13.
The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. each night in the Aquinas Hall Theatre, 330 Powell Ave., Newburgh, N.Y. Admission is $5, or free with a Mount ID. Seating is limited. Reservations are suggested. For tickets, call the box office at 845-569-3273.
John Proctor is the Villain tells the story of a group of teenaged students at a rural high school in Georgia as they explore The Crucible by famous playwright Arthur Miller. Holding a contemporary lens to the American classic, they begin to question who the hero of the story really is, discovering their own power in the process. And in the middle of it all, they find that sometimes, life imitates art.
“It’s funny, it’s tragic, and I think it’s very well written,” said James Phillips, associate professor of Theatre. “It’s really clever how it takes the plot and ideas of The Crucible and brings them into a modern setting…The playwright is clear that that change doesn’t happen easily, but it can and does happen.”
John Proctor is the Villain is extremely contemporary and relevant, having been released only about three years ago.
“It’s really the hot play of the moment right now,” Phillips explained, adding that the Mount is one of the first theatre groups in the Hudson Valley to be performing it. “It’s an important piece because it mirrors modern life.”
John Proctor is the Villain features a mix of Mount nine students and alumni, with an additional four students taking on stage crew roles.