Welcome!
This independent production of ’Witch’, by Jen Silverman, is an Equity members-produced project, which means that we, the cast and crew, are solely responsible for fundraising and producing the show. We are a group of artists coming together for this singular project, working hard to bring this compelling and relevant play to life, and create an exciting theatrical experience for Pittsburgh theater-goers!
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The Play
A charming devil arrives in the quiet village of Edmonton to bargain for the souls of its residents in exchange for their darkest wishes. Elizabeth should be his easiest target, having been labeled a “witch” and cast out by the town, but her soul is not so readily bought. As the devil returns to convince her, unexpected passions flare, alliances are formed, and the village is forever changed. An inventive retelling of a Jacobean drama, this sharp, subversive fable debates how much our souls are worth when hope is hard to come by.
“Witch is utterly spellbinding... Superb... Intelligent.” – LA Daily News
“Jen Silverman’s exceedingly smart new comedy… casts an intoxicating spell. The playwright’s ear for patterns of speech, and the halting language of longing, is marvelous here.” – Chicago Sun Times
“Darkly humorous... thematically current... a spell worth casting.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Funding Breakdown
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Our Previous Work
In 2018, artists from this group produced the play ‘Orphans’ by Lyle Kessler, which was both an artistic and commercial success born from a labor of love, and made possible through a crowdfunding campaign just like this one.
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For those who attended ORPHANS a few years ago, you saw the results of our use of ‘active analysis’ as a rehearsal technique, which we’ll also be implementing into our rehearsal process for WITCH.
What is Active Analysis? Very simply, it is the system developed by Konstantine Stanislavski near the end of his life to replace the famous system most actors know him by in this country. Using guided physical explorations based on careful analysis of the text, it is a way to approach the play in a more visceral way as opposed to taking a more intellectual path. The actors immediately put the play up through a series of guided physical improvisations to establish an emotional connection to what their characters are doing in the play to the other characters, as opposed to sitting around a table discussing what their character's motivations are. If this all sounds a little esoteric and heady approach, it's not- it's an incredibly fun and freeing way to find one's way into a character and the play they're in.
A Final Spell
Like a black cat or goat, one of the Familiars of Publicity is Word of Mouth. Help us cast our spell! If you know of anyone who you think might want to know about our work, and donate to our fundraiser, please forward this notice to any and all your friends!
Thank you in advance for any help you are willing to provide as we begin work on this wicked comedy!
