The ending of John Proctor is the Villain a revisionist take on The Crucible set in a modern U.S. high school is a wallop straight to the heart. Its a cathartic culmination of the emotions these teen girls have carried with them throughout the entire show, soundtracked by Lordes Green Light. For eight shows a week, audiences left the theater having just experienced one of the most honest and vulnerable depictions of girlhood put to stage but on September 7, the show will close (after multiple extensions) and that will be the end of their stories at least for now.The Tony-nominated shows playwright, Kimberly Belflower, is still processing he emotions of what a wild ride the whole experience has been. I never dreamed that it would make it to Broadway, Belflower, reflecting on the shows success, tells Out in an interview the week that the show is closing. When Belflower was in high school, she and two of her friends made impossible lists in journals that her friend rediscovered recently, dreams they thought they could never achieve. On Belflowers list, there were two items: Have a show on Broadway and get nominated for a Tony check and check.So much of the show came from Belflowers own experiences. She hails from a similarly small town in Appalachian Georgia, and the characters are an amalgamation of herself and her friends growing up, tied into a modern setting of a post-MeToo cultural reckoning. The first drafts of the show, she explained, were written in collaboration with college students after being commissioned by the Farm Theater's College Collaboration project; Belflower says these students were her biggest resource in the early stages of writing. John Proctor is the Villain playwright Kimberly Belflower and director Danya TaymorValerie TerranovaThe play meticulously pokes and prods at the viewers ideas of feminism and the notion of the perfect victim through the lens of a classroom filled with 16-year-olds who are reading The Crucible and discussing its subtext in discussions led by their teacher, Mr. Smith (played by Gabriel Ebert). One of the shows protagonists, Shelby (originally portrayed by Sadie Sink), returns to school after a prolonged leave of absence. A revelation further upends the chaos that the town is already experiencing.Broadways progression in conversations about women, femmes, and feminism stalled around the 2010s, marked by the rise of girlbosses and a focus on basic feminist principles. Audiences love a female character righteously declaring, Women can do anything a man can do. John Proctor is The Villain cracks that idea wide open and puts the audience in a position to consider their own internalized biases, along with those of the characters on the stage.As Belflower began having more conversations with college students, she said she noticed that it was very easy for the young people she worked with to recognize Harvey Weinstein as a monster full stop. One day, she explained, she asked her class, What if these same allegations came out against Harry Styles? To the shock and horror of the young people she was talking to, they all wholeheartedly agreed that wouldnt happen. It sparked the opportunity to look deeper within herself and recognize that she wouldnt be a perfect feminist in those moments and it would really challenge a lot of things that I take for granted as my deeply held beliefs. This became the basis for her show, she said, because that naturally led into some more complicated, complex depictions and discussions of contemporary feminism. John Proctor is the Villain playwright Kimberly Belflower and director Danya Taymor with Lorde (center)Michaelah ReynoldsAnother major aspect of Belflower imbued in this play is her queerness. Belflower came out as queer in her late 20s, and she points to the fluidity of theater as a way to explore this other side of herself that she hadnt had the chance to explore when she was younger. She got the exposure to different types of people and different types of relationships, and I don't know if I ever would have fully come to terms with the spectrum of my sexuality if I didn't have theater," she says.Theres a moment where there may be an inkling of queerness in one of the shows protagonists, Raelynn, the preachers daughter (played by Amalia Yoo). In one scene, she catches herself talking about having a crush on Selena Gomez before she stops herself. Belflower says shes heard the criticisms that Raelynn's queerness is glossed over and dropped but she asserts that isnt the case. Raelynn wasnt ready to talk about it yet, the shows playwright explains, because at this stage in her life, she doesnt know that [shes queer] yet.Shes also seen the John Proctor fanfic that exists, where fans of the show have fictionalized a world in which Shelby and Raelynn are in love. I've always said that this is a love story about a female friendship, and I didnt mean love story like romantically, but I think there's absolutely a world where Raelynn, when she's 27 and is like Oh I might have been in love with Shelby.Before Sink left the show for her scheduled exit, Lorde had mentioned wanting to see the show after the two ran into each other at the Met Gala this year because she knows that her song is being used in it (she had to sign off on the rights). After one attempt of getting Lorde to the show (she had to inevitably cancel the first time), the singer DMed Belflower and told her she needed to come see the show before Sink leaves. The stars aligned, and she made her way to John Proctor. Belflower said Lorde seemed to be struggling for words after the show was over and told Belflower, Sorry, that was a lot for me. To which the playwright responded, But do you understand why it had to be your song? And Lorde said yes. See on Instagram I will never recover, Belflower said about the experience. But the same could be said about the show throughout its entire run. After three extensions, its coming to a close. But that doesnt spell the end of this plays story. In July, it was announced that the Broadway show was going to be adapted into a movie through Universal Pictures. The production is set to be executive produced by Sink with Marc Platt and Tina Fey serving as producers.There was a lot of interest from other producers, Belflower revealed, but Fey and Platt made the best offer and the 30 Rock legend has taken the playwright under her wings for this project. Belflower hasnt had a chance to write the script or think about casting just yet, but she is excited to expand the view outside of the classroom where the Broadway show takes place and get to focus on more intimate moments that are difficult to display on a Broadway stage.This show has become a cultural touchpoint for so many young people now, and Belflower has heard from them directly. I get a lot of young women, especially telling me things that have happened to them and things that they've had to live through and work through, she explains. I'm like both so honored that they trust me with that, and that my play helped them feel seen its very cool and great to get praise, but also I take it as a responsibility because I know that it's not necessarily even about me but really it's about what it cracked open in them and the play is kind of like this mirror in a way.John Proctor is the Villain closes Sunday, September 7 on Broadway. Learn more at johnproctoristhevillain.com.