witch play by Erika Phoebus

It's 1563...ish, and Anny Chapman wants to get pregnant. No wait, Anny Chapman MUST get pregnant, or else she could be tried as a witch. As secret fertility treatments from the local alewife, Besse, births an unexpected love between them, the world outside threatens to knock down their door. Meanwhile, the Virgin Mary has arrived on the scene, and she wants her autonomy back… A dark comedy, a love story, a...
It's 1563...ish, and Anny Chapman wants to get pregnant. No wait, Anny Chapman MUST get pregnant, or else she could be tried as a witch. As secret fertility treatments from the local alewife, Besse, births an unexpected love between them, the world outside threatens to knock down their door. Meanwhile, the Virgin Mary has arrived on the scene, and she wants her autonomy back… A dark comedy, a love story, a ritual, a spell; Witch Play searches for all the places our pleasure may go, after we’ve chosen to unleash it.
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witch play

Recommended by

  • C. Meaker:
    5 Jun. 2023
    “ I've been lucky enough to read this play in several stages of development and it guts me each time. Erika is able to articulate something honest, sexy, and dangerous about queer desire and the kind of witchery it is. To do all that and tell a story that tackles reproductive justice is truly amazing. ”
  • Kate Busselle:
    4 Jun. 2023
    “ This play is a force to be reckoned with and an intimacy designer's dream. Erika's beautiful depiction of mating rituals and pleasure rituals are ones that are rich with staging potential/possibility, and the humor that runs throughout the play is unmatched. A wonderful play that bridges the gap between here, then, and what might be, witch play is a must read/must consider for colleges and universities! ”
  • Rachael Carnes:
    29 May. 2023
    “ A historically driven explosion of thoughts and ideas related to the erosion of women’s rights - then/now - Phoebus ratchets us through increasingly high stakes with deft humor and magnetic theatricality. A reading at Great Plains Theatre Conference delivered big energy, charging pacing and dynamics among characters centuries old, yet chillingly contemporary. ”

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Great Plains Theatre Commons New Play Conference
    ,
    2023

Awards

Finalist
,
Seven Devils Playwrights Conference
,
2023
Finalist
,
Soho Rep Writer Director Lab
,
2022