Kansas City Repertory Theatre produces the provocative new play John Proctor Is The Villain, a sharp and thought-provoking exploration of truth, morality and power.
John Proctor Is The Villain is running at KCRep's Copaken Stage from October 6 through October 25. It's a new play by Kimberly Belflower, directed by Laura Alcalá Baker, and KCRep is one of the first regional theaters to bring it to the stage after it hit Broadway in 2025. During that run, it earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Play, and Sadie Sink of Stranger Things starred in it.
The story follows five young women in a one-stoplight town, fueled by pop music, optimism, and fury, as they find their voices and start digging into some of the town's darkest secrets. It's set in the late 2010s and centers on a group of high schoolers navigating gender and power during the #MeToo movement, all while studying Arthur Miller's The Crucible in English class. The title comes from that—they're looking at the play they're reading in class and questioning who the real villains are in their own lives.
Director Laura Alcalá Baker describes the dialogue as comedic and unexpected, meant to disarm the audience and draw a direct line from #MeToo to today's cultural currents. It's a sharp, witty show that asks what we think we know about truth, morality, and the consequences of the choices we make. Just a heads-up on the content: it contains adult language and references to sexual harassment, grooming, and a brief mention of suicide.
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Tickets start at $44, and the run goes through October 25 at the Copaken Stage.
