In 'Witch,' a 17th century fable addresses contemporary struggles

MEREDITH — It’s a human tendency to simplify the world, to perceive things in black and white, good or bad, us and them. True reality is often shrouded in grays, though, and that’s the color palate playwright Jen Silverman uses in their play “Witch,” a dark comedy the Winnipesaukee Playhouse will be producing July 11-20.

“Witch” is a study in contradictions, starting with the play itself, which is neither comedy nor tragedy, yet simultaneously both. Silverman’s script is a re-telling of a 17th century fable, but presented in a way that is relevant 400 years later. The plot is driven by the arrival of a character who promises to grant the deepest wishes of a town’s residents, and all he asks for in exchange is their soul.

What is a soul worth? And why should this wish-granter have a difficult time striking a deal with the town’s outcast, Elizabeth, who, after all, is considered by the other townspeople to be a witch?

Tyler Christie, director, said he pitched the play to be included in the Winnipesaukee Playhouse’s professional season, partly because of his excitement for Silverman, an ascendant voice in contemporary theatre.

“I’m a big fan of the playwright and all of their work. This play in particular, what’s really exciting about it is, the play is full of dichotomies, dualities, contradictions and paradoxes, love and hate,” Christie said. “All of these opposites, figuring out how those two things can be true at the same time, exploring the mystery and the space in between those things, which I think reflects a more realistic portrayal of the human condition.”

Ashley Meeken, a veteran of the playhouse, as well many other stages in the Lakes Region, plays the role of Elizabeth Sawyer.

When Timothy L’Ecuyer, artistic director for the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, shared the season lineup, Meeken said, “I immediately read this play, and I immediately said, 'This female character is so interesting to me, her strength and character.'” Elizabeth is considered a witch, but is that just because she chooses to live alone and independently, in the woods?

Meeken said she also saw why Christie is so drawn to Silverman’s work. “The way it’s told, the way they’ve written it ... it’s so relatable even though it’s based in the 1600s.”

Accusations of witchcraft went out of vogue centuries ago, but ostracization is always in style. That’s one of the threads Silverman, who is non-binary, uses to weave this Jacobean tale into modern society.

“The play was really born out of a place of processing a sense of being unseen, as being a fem-presenting person in the world, a queer person in the world,” Christie said. Silverman’s deftness as a playwright is evident in moments when, instead of anger or rage which might be natural, instead they utilize “small moments of humanity,” as Christie put it. “The play feels universal in that way.”

Christie said anyone who has experienced the feeling of being less-than, or expendable, will connect with this play. Someone with a queer identity, for example, or a person of color who inhabits predominantly white spaces, or a trans person trying to live their life at a time when their existence is treated as a political football, punted back and forth by people who don’t care enough to understand their lived experience.

Meeken added another example: Female-presenting people who make unconventional choices, especially in middle age and older. “Women are treated differently in this country,” she said.

“It’s easy to call the old woman in the woods a witch,” rather than make space for her in society, Christie said. “I think we’re always going to be dealing with what it means to be ostracized ... Humans like to put really clear lines between things. I think this play confronts the audience with breaking that down a little bit.”

Both Christie and Meeken agreed the play, which has plenty of laughs and touching moments, is suitable for a wide range of audiences. Christie said there’s a little bit of violence enacted on stage, but there’s no questionable language or sexual situations, and the language is tuned for contemporary ears.

Meeken said it’s even a play for people who don’t think of themselves as fans of live theater.

“I think, specifically, this would be such a great play if theater wasn’t their thing,” Meeken said. “Please come, you will be sold.”

An onstage reflection

This is the second season for L’Ecuyer as artistic director, since he took over for playhouse founder Neil Pankhurst. Pankhurst designed last year’s season as his last act before retiring, so this is the first season created entirely by L’Ecuyer. He said he is pleased to bring “the work of this really up-and-coming playwright to this audience.”

Lesley Pankhurst, patron and company services director and a founder of the playhouse, said although “Witch” might be an unusual title for summer theater in the Lakes Region, it’s the kind of play that Neil, her husband, would have picked.

“This is more in keeping with our 20-year history,” than typical summer stock titles. “We bring plays to this area that people wouldn’t see without going to New York or Boston."

L’Ecuyer said the value of a play like “Witch” is that it shows characters who are “at the end of their rope” and trying to muster the energy to continue with their lives. “It’s a little bit of a mirror, I think you’ll see yourself reflected in this play.”

“Witch,” like all other shows at the playhouse this season, will be presented with the stage in “thrust” configuration, with seating on three sides of the stage. This arrangement is in place for two practical reasons: there isn’t enough staff or time to switch the configurations between shows, and because there are more seats to sell in this arrangement.

Lesley said balcony seating is better for thrust shows, there is a wider range of ticket pricing and the experience is different.

“There is an intimacy in thrust that is different from proscenium. You’re always close to the actors in our theater, but you can get really close in thrust,” Lesley said.

She added ticket sales so far this year have finally started to match what they were prior to the COVID pandemic, and L’Ecuyer said he hoped that trend would continue with a show like “Witch.”

“I had the opportunity to sit in on the ‘Witch’ read-through, I am so excited about this group of actors, this group of creatives. A lot of them have worked here before, a lot of them haven’t,” L’Ecuyer said. “I am convinced that it is going to be something special. I hope people will take a chance on it.”

For tickets and more information, visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.