Reading of "John Proctor is the Villain" by Table/Read at Aster House

I attended the inaugural Table/Read event last August, #TCTheater artist Grant Sorenson's new series in which a group of talented local actors read a play. The fun part is - the play is not announced until literally seconds before the reading begins. Grant has chosen plays that we have not seen here in the Twin Cities before, so it's a great way to be exposed to new plays that may not be produced here, at least anytime soon. And it's so rare that I go to the theater not knowing anything about what I'm about to see, even the title, that it's a fun surprise. Table/Read happens monthly, but I'm so busy during the theater season that I typically need my Monday nights off, so I haven't been able to go back until this month, when things are still a little quiet as we come back from holiday break. I picked a good night to attend Table/Read; the play was the buzzy recent Tony-nominated play John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower, soon to be adapted into a film. Visit Table/Read's website or follow them on social media for news of February's event. And don't miss Grant directing the first #TCTheater professional production of Oscar Wilde's Salomé in February.

John Proctor is the Villain played on Broadway for about six months just last year, and was nominated for seven Tonys including best play. I heard about it on my annual spring NYC trip and was intrigued, so I was thrilled when Grant announced it as this month's reading. The play is about a high school class in a small town in Georgia who are reading The Crucible. The students discuss the play with their teacher and each other, and some of them empathize with Abigail, not the supposed hero John Proctor. The themes of this classic play begin to have deeper meaning as several "me too" incidents rock their small town. It's such a smart, funny, relevant play, with characters and dialogue that feels very natural and real. 

Grant directed the reading in a semi-staged way, meaning the actors get up and move around a bit, although they're reading from scripts and sitting in chairs for much of it. And this fantastic cast (Dustin Bronson as the teacher, Maggie D'Ambrose as a school couselor, and Jonathan Edwards, Phoenicia Gamble, Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green, Ashley Horiuchi, Theo Janke-Furman, Brynn Kelly, and Bella West as the students) gave great performances that were more than mere reading, with scenes punctuated by the ringing of a school bell. Aster House is a cozy and inviting venue set up with table seating, and your first drink is included with the price of admission.

I hope to see a full production of John Proctor is the Villain in the Twin Cities very soon. Bonus points to any theater that does it in rep with The Crucible!

Here's a list of the Table Reads so far this season.

• August: THE ANTIPODES by Annie Baker
• September: COCK by Mike Bartlett
• October: OCTOBER SOLOS (four short solo pieces)
• November: JOB by Max Wolf Friedlich
• December: ALL ABOUT EVE by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• January: JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN by Kimberly Belflower