John Proctor is the Villain

About This Event

A Tony-nominated sensation that turns a modern teen-girl lens on 'The Crucible' — genuinely one of the most talked-about new plays of the last few years, now making its Chicago premiere in partnership with Minneapolis's Guthrie Theater. Directed by Marti Lyons at the Goodman's 856-seat Albert Theatre.

Arthur Miller wrote 'The Crucible' in 1953 as a thinly veiled response to McCarthyism, dramatizing the 1692 Salem witch trials with John Proctor written as its tragic, flawed hero — it's been assigned reading for 70-plus years on that same premise. Playwright Kimberly Belflower, who grew up in Georgia, set her response in a small Georgia high school English class in 2018, right as #MeToo was reshaping how a generation of teenage girls read the 'good men' of the books they're handed. It's less a retelling than an argument with the original text, staged inside the classroom still teaching it.

Worth knowing: the Broadway original opened at the Booth Theatre in April 2025 starring Sadie Sink and directed by Danya Taymor, earned seven Tony nominations, and has since announced a West End transfer — this Goodman run is its Chicago premiere. No single showtime to add to a calendar since performances run through Feb 21, 2027; check goodmantheatre.org for the schedule and ticket prices.