‘John Proctor is the Villain’ at Wilkes University

How many of us read “The Crucible” in high school?

And when we read that play by Arthur Miller, set in 1692 amid the Salem Witchcraft Trials, did we consider the character John Proctor to be a good guy? A loving family man, befuddled by a seductress, who bumbled into a mistake?

The way the play is set up, don’t a lot of readers want to blame not John Proctor but Abigail, the teen-age mother’s helper, for the way John Proctor broke his marriage vow?

“You always hear that he’s ‘a rich literary character’ because he’s flawed, ” said Wilkes University student Bella Ruiz, who will appear in the theatre department’s first production of the season, “John Proctor is the Villain.”

John, a villain? Not just flawed, but a villain?

Yes, perhaps in the same category as Harvey Weinstein.

Set in 2018 in a small Appalachian town, “John Proctor is the Villain” by Kimberly Belflower focuses on high school students who are studying “The Crucible” — and drawing parallels between the events in the classic play and circumstances in their own lives.

As college students, the cast can recall their own high school days, which weren’t so very long ago.

“A lot of us remember how everything that happens to you either seems like the best day of your life or the end of the world,” said Maddie Meier, who portrays a character named Shelby.

Shelby seems to be a favorite student of popular teacher Carter Smith.

“He’s grooming her,” said Wilkes student Rocco Pugliese, who plays the teacher.

Shelby also is the young woman with whom a character named Lee cheated on his girlfriend Raelynn.

In high school circles, the attention of a teacher and the attention of another girl’s boyfriend can lead to a girl being labeled as something beyond flirtatious.

But maybe Shelby in 2018 doesn’t deserve all that blame and name-calling; perhaps Abigail back in the 17th century didn’t either. After all, John Proctor in “The Crucible” is an adult, just as teacher Carter Smith in this new play, is an adult.

When people discuss “The Crucible,” the term “witchhunt” comes up a lot. Are there witchhunts going on in “John Proctor Is the Villain?” Raelynn’s friend Ivy might want to think so; her father has been criticized for his dealings with women and she doesn’t want to believe he could be guilty of doing anything wrong.

Relationships, power dynamics, patriarchy, female friendship and body ownership are all part of the play, and since popular music is the backdrop for the lives of many high school students, you can expect that as well.

“We’re building music into our production,” said director and assistant professor of theatre Alison Morooney, mentioning the song “Green Light” by New Zealand artist Lorde as playing a role.

The director and cast said they hope the play will spark discussions among audience members and hold a mirror to society and the “boys will be boys” excuses that often have been made for men.

“It’s not about burning it down,” Morooney said, “but about building something new.”

The production will be presented in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts on campus at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 and Oct. 4; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oct. 5 and 2 p.m. Oct. 6.