American female-led theatre company Scene 24 Productions bring their production of If We Really Were Witches to the Edinburgh Fringe, having previously run it as an episodic audio show.
“What might’ve happened if real witches dropped in on the witch hunts? Comedy, we’re sure. Summoned by the ghost of a witch hunt victim, real witches Mildred, Agnes and Suds arrive to rescue innocent Obediently Snead and serve up justice of their own. When challenged by The Pricks of Puritanical Piety Guild and Social Club, the witches turn the tide on those who harm others out of ignorance and fear. This riotous four-person comedy makes its way to Edinburgh after premiering in New York City and selling out performances at the Scranton Fringe Festival.”
Where: The Vault at Paradise in The Vault
When: 7-30 Aug (not 16 or 23)
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/if-we-really-were-witches
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
Our show is a comedy about the witch hunts. It started when playwright Kelly F Burr was researching the witch trials for a paper in grad school, and some of the charges were so absurd, she actually laughed out loud. How could people really believe these things? If witches were capable of doing the magical things of which they were accused, wouldn’t they have just used them and escaped? Why would they have let themselves be captured, tortured, and killed?
Kelly later discovered her ancestor was tried and executed as a witch, and she wanted to find a way to talk about this history in an accessible, digestible way. It has become a cautionary tale, as the dangers of mass hysteria and pseudoscience are just as dangerous today as they were in the 1600s.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
What if real witches dropped in on the witch hunts? Self-identifying as “Monty Python Meets The Crucible,” this 60-minute fast-paced comedy pokes at the dangers of pseudoscience, mass hysteria, and the abuse of power. When witch hunters of The Pricks of Puritanical Piety Guild & Social Club come up against three real witches, the antics ensue. While we’re a comedy, Witches aims to take back the power and the narrative on behalf of the innocent lives lost over generations.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? And do you have any moments you particularly remember?
This is our first Edinburgh Fringe, but we’ve participated in US Fringes, and we love meeting other artists and experiencing their shows. We also love to support independent venues because without them, we can’t do theater. Fringe festivals give us a chance to be a part of something bigger, to participate in a larger community rather than to be on our own as a show. Our favorite memory so far is our first sell-out performance at The Scranton Fringe. The venue ran out of chairs. Seeing people leave with smiles on their faces, still laughing and talking about the show is always the best.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh has such a deep love and respect for the arts and its artists. It’s a big honor to be a part of a global event like the Fringe and get to meet people who are as in love with performance art as we are. We come from New York City, which has such a strong artist community, but Edinburgh is different. Artists are welcomed and appreciated. (What else can we expect from a country that has a national poet?)
We’re also excited to further explore witch history in Edinburgh. One of our characters, Ghost Janet, is loosely based on Janet Douglas, who was executed in Edinburgh. Our show originated in New England in the USA, which is rich with witch-lore, but we want to learn more of the events and history that took place in Scotland. Visiting the Witch Well is on our to-do list.
What’s next for the show?
Our show has been in residence Off-Off Broadway in NYC for the last several months, and we hope to return home and get ourselves on Off-Broadway. We’d also love to play or tour this show in the U.K. and anywhere that wants us!