Quintessence Theatre Company will open its 17th season this week with a wicked story, inspired by a true one.
The regional premiere of Jen Silverman’s ‘Witch’, a darkly comic and contemporary reimagining of ‘The Witch of Edmonton ’, opens on Sept. 30 at the Mt. Airy theater. Directed by Barrymore Award-nominated director Maura Krause, the production will run through Oct. 25 at Quintessence’s Sedgwick Theater.
As cited before, the play draws on the 17th-century English drama ‘The Witch of Edmonton’ by John Ford, Thomas Dekker and William Rowley, but that story itself is inspired by the true tale of Elizabeth Sawyer, who was executed for witchcraft in 1621. While the original play portrays Sawyer as an older woman driven to make a pact with the devil after being rejected by her community, Silverman reshapes the story for a modern audience.
“The act of writing a new play inspired by a classic is one of the most aggressive and exciting ways to explore an old story in a new way, and Jen Silverman’s brilliant and biting comedy reimagines and riffs on one of the great Jacobean tragicomedies in a timeless and necessary way for today,” says Alex Burns, Artistic Director of Quintessence.
“Since its premiere at Chicago’s Writers Theatre in 2019, Quintessence has been offering to sell its soul to bring this new classic to Philadelphia. Our patience has paid off, and there couldn’t be a better team than the one helmed by Mara Krause and an ensemble of powerhouse actors led by Suli Holum to cast Witch’s spell on Philadelphia.”
"I couldn't imagine a better production to bring me back to this city's amazing theatre community. I've loved Jen Silverman's work since 2010, when I was an artistic intern at Woolly Mammoth reading their MFA thesis script,” notes Krause.
“'Witch' mingles snappy humor and poignant humanity with all of Jen's trademark brilliance. The play's piercing examination of how social systems and rigid assumptions shape everyone's lives, even as we crave genuine connection, will never stop being relevant. 'Witch' asks many questions but offers no simple answers, and I look forward to sharing that heartfelt ambiguity with Quintessence's lovely and thoughtful audiences."
Running approximately 95 minutes without an intermission, 'Witch' is recommended for audiences ages 13 and older. Quintessence is also pairing the production with programming designed "to extend the conversation beyond the stage."
Following Wednesday and Thursday evening performances, the theater’s “Digestif Dialogues” invite audiences to stay for informal post-show discussions with members of the Quintessence team. A cast talkback will also follow the Oct. 8 performance, while an Oct. 18 conversation with Arcadia University professor Jennifer Matisoff will explore the Jacobean drama and Silverman’s adaptation in greater depth.
The season’s Elemental Recitation Series will also offer another connection to the play’s origins on Oct. 19, with professional actors presenting a rehearsed reading of 'The Witch of Edmonton', the 1621 work that inspired Silverman’s adaptation. Tickets for the reading are $10 and free to Quintessence season subscribers.
Tickets for 'Witch' range from $30 to $65, with Pay-What-You-Can tickets available for the Wednesday, Sept. 30 performance. For more information on ‘Witch’ at Quintessence (7137 Germantown Ave.), visit quintessencetheatre.org
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