Scratching the Witch via Adaptation Dramaturgy: Jen Silverman's "Witch"

What itches do we scratch by putting witch hunts onstage? In this talk, Jane Barnette considers the palimpsestuous pleasures made possible by Jen Silverman's 21st-century "riff" on The Witch of Edmondton, a five-act tragicomedy from 1621 that itself was based on "a known true story." Written by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford (among other poets) and performed by a company of at least twelve actors playing approximately thirty roles, the Jacobian tale adapted popular ballads and pamphlets from that same year, offering salacious gossip about a local woman, Elizabeth Sawyer, who was executed upon confessing to witchcraft. Silverman's play is like a stovetop reduction--by slowly simmering the sprawling 17th-century play, the playwright thickens the sauce, intensifying its flavor and revealing the story's essence for present-day audiences. This talk, co-sponsored by the Departments of Theater Studies, English, and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, is part of We the People: A Duke and Durham Initiative. All student attendees will be entered into a raffle to win a haul of game-day-ready gear from Duke Stores. Dr. Barnette will also join a talkback following the 8 pm performance of "Witch" in Sheafer Lab Theater on the same date.