How a Broadway show was shaped by Centre theatre students

When the script first arrived in the hands of the Centre College Theatre program, “John Proctor Is the Villain” was still a work in progress. Some pages only contained a single sentence: “Something awesome happens here!” As the Theatre at Centre students and faculty dove into the play, it became clear… something awesome truly was happening.

Eight years later, a transformed “John Proctor Is the Villain” will debut on Broadway March 20 with a star-studded cast, featuring direction by Tony Award-winner Danya Taymor and “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink in the leading role.

How does a play go from a partially finished script in the hands of Centre College students to the bright lights of Broadway? It began when playwright Kimberly Belflower first pitched an idea to The Farm Theater, a New York-based company focused on developing early-career playwrights.

Belflower didn’t have a full concept, but she had a title, and that was enough to intrigue The Farm’s Artistic Director, Padraic Lillis.

“I immediately just went, ‘Yeah, that,’” Lillis said. “It was right at the height of the Me Too movement, and as soon as she said it, I realized – John Proctor, this ‘hero’ in American drama, slept with a 15-year-old orphan girl who has no power whatsoever. When [Belflower] said the title, it was so clear. This was the play she needed to write.”

Centre College, which has partnered with The Farm Theater since 2014, became the first organization to work on “John Proctor Is the Villain” as part of The Farm’s College Collaboration Project. Unlike a traditional college production with a script already set in stone, Centre’s cast and crew worked with a living, evolving script.

Professor of Theatre Matthew Hallock, a longtime friend of Padraic and set designer for Centre’s production of “John Proctor,” immediately recognized the College Collaboration Project’s potential.

“Padraic called me and said, ‘I’ve got a stupid idea – tell me why this doesn’t work.’ Ten minutes in, I stopped him and said, ‘Where do we sign up?’” Hallock recalled. Centre theatre students working with The Farm Theater travel to New York for early script readings, where they spend three days reading and discussing the first draft with the playwright, artistic director, professional New York-based actors and students from other collaborating colleges. Through these interactions with industry professionals, students get to know live theatre in an entirely new way outside their everyday college experience.

“This program provides our students with an opportunity to see something through in each individual step,” Hallock said. “Each step teaches you something important and necessary and new. Genuine, impactful creative experience happens through this sustained focus and labor.”

After the students return to campus and the production evolves, the playwright remains in constant communication and visits campus during the rehearsal process and again during the performance period.

“We knew Kimberly could send us new pages, even entirely new scenes at any point,” said Katherine Moeykens ’19, who played Shelby Holcomb (the lead role Sink will now take up) in Centre’s production. “I think knowing that the playwright was coming and that I had a chance to impact her work forever — if she decided to change something because of my performance — really motivated me.”

Associate Professor of Theatre Jennifer Goff remembers “John Proctor” as one of her favorite directorial credits. The synergy and excitement of Belflower and the students were noticeable from the start. The play was topical, important and relatable, and her students gained a transformative experience they might never have had access to at another institution.

“Our students, by working with The Farm, get to work with professional playwrights. They get to see the new play development process, which is something you can’t do when you’re just grabbing a play off a shelf and saying, ‘Let’s direct this,’” Goff said. “Actually seeing a play change from rehearsal to rehearsal and being part of that change – it’s huge.”

For students considering careers in theatre, this experience is invaluable. Many college theatre programs don’t offer direct engagement with playwrights or hands-on involvement in script development. Centre’s partnership with The Farm Theater provides students with both.

“There’s a difference between how you relate to your professor and how you relate to the professionals in the room,” Goff said. “The network that these students build through The Farm is incredible.”

Theatre at Centre has collaborated with The Farm Theater every other year since the program’s beginning, producing five plays so far, with a sixth set to premiere on the Weisiger Stage this spring. “John Proctor” is the first production cultivated by the College Collaboration Project to move onto such heights, marking a milestone for both The Farm Theater and Centre College.

Lillis emphasized how these college collaborations help both students and emerging artists step into the professional world.

“The goal has always been to cultivate early-career artists and help them take the next step in their careers,” Lillis said. “We’ve had playwrights from this program go on to Juilliard, to write screenplays, to get commissioned regionally. What Kimberly did — skipping all the steps and going straight to Broadway — that’s incredible. But what excites me just as much is how this shines a light on all the other playwrights and schools that have supported the program.”

Now that “John Proctor Is the Villain” is heading to Broadway, Centre College students can say they were there from the beginning. They helped shape the script; they breathed life into its characters for the first time. They witnessed the evolution of a play that will resonate with audiences from across the country.

It’s not uncommon for amazing things to happen in Centre College classrooms. Those moments often become something bigger. Sometimes, they lead all the way to Broadway.