Event

Vinegar Tom

"If I could live I'd be a witch now after what they've done."

Life was hard in the 17th century. In a time of social upheaval, class change and hardship among the poor, those living on the fringes of society scraped by through the mercy and forbearance of their neighbors. This balance is disturbed when a renowned witch-finder visits a rural farming village and the community finds a focus for its frustrations. When witchcraft exists in the minds of persecutor and persecuted, petty and everyday transgressions become hanging crimes.

Punctuated by music hall variety acts and live musical performances, Churchill's 1976 play uses mordant wit and biting political commentary to explore the prejudices and fears that we actively use to shape our lives. In Caryl Churchill's own words: "I wanted to write a play about witches with no witches in it; a play not about evil, hysteria and possession by the devil but about poverty, humiliation and prejudice...".

In this staged reading with music, Whistler in the Dark will feature new arrangements of Churchill's songs by some of Boston's best young musicians.