Cast for John Proctor is the Villain’s UK premiere revealed

John Proctor is the Villain has announced casting for its UK premiere.

The hit play by Kimberly Belflower reimagines the legacy of The Crucible within a modern American high school, and will now be staged at the Royal Court – the very venue where The Crucible had its London premiere in the Court’s first-ever season in 1956.

Set in a present-day English class studying Arthur Miller’s classic, the story follows a group of students and their young teacher as they grapple with questions about morality, power, and who gets to control the narrative. When a controversy erupts over whether John Proctor should be seen as a tragic hero or a predator who abused his position, tensions between students, teachers, and the community spiral.

The play had its world premiere at the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC in 2022. It had its Broadway debut in the Spring of 2025, starring Sadie Sink  as the character Shelby Holcomb.

Set to star in London will be Lauryn Ajufo (Nell Shaw), Charlie Borg (Lee Turner), Reece Braddock (Mason Adams), Dónal Finn (Carter Smith), Holly Howden Gilchrist (Beth Powell), Clare Hughes (Ivy Watkins), Miya James (Raelynn Nix), Molly McFadden (Bailey Gallagher) and Sadie Soverall (Shelby Holcomb).

Scenography is by AMP, featuring Teresa Williams, the costume design is by Sarah Laux, the lighting design is by Natasha Katz, the sound design and original composition is by Palmer Hefferan, projection design is by Hannah Wasileski, hair and make-up design by J. Jared Janas, and movement direction by Tilly Evans-Kreuger. The voice and dialect coach is Gigi Buffington. The casting director is Julia Horan, dramaturgy is by Lauren Halvorsen and the associate director is Yanni Ng.

The show runs from 20 March to 25 April 2026.

We discuss the new Royal Court season on our exclusive podcast interview with the Royal Court’s artistic director David Byrne: