Stage West to Present Jen Silverman's WITCH

Would you sell your soul to the Devil to get something you really want? It's a simple question, but you might be surprised by your answer. Expect the unexpected in Jen Silverman's clever fable, Witch. Inspired by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker and John Ford's The Witch of Edmonton, the show will begin a 4-week regional premiere run on Thursday, March 17 in the Jerry Russell Theatre at Stage West.

The sleepy village of Edmonton seems normal enough, but dark secrets bubble beneath the placid surface. So when Scratch, an attractive and charismatic devil, comes to town in search of souls, he expects the pickings to be ripe. There's wealthy Sir Arthur Banks, who desperately needs an heir who will continue his line. His son, Cuddy, however, has desires which lie elsewhere. Ambitious newcomer Frank seeks to exchange his rags for riches. Servant Winnifred would just like to be acknowledged. And then there's the intelligent and intriguing Elizabeth, shunned by the villagers as a witch, who has a few wants of her own. But are they all the easy marks he expects? Maybe, just maybe, he's bitten off a bit too much this time!

This funny and slyly subversive play is sure to make audiences wonder-what would you say if the Devil came knocking on your door?

Jen Silverman is a New York-based writer. Her plays include Witch, Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties..., The Roommate, and The Moors. She's a two-time MacDowell Colony fellow, a recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts grant, the Helen Merrill Award, an LMCC Fellowship, and the Yale Drama Series Award. She was the 2016-2017 Playwrights of New York (PoNY) Fellow at the Lark.
Jen is the author of The Island Dwellers, a collection of interlinked stories which was published by Random House and long-listed for the 2019 PEN America Literary Awards. Her first novel, We Play Ourselves, was published with Random House in 2021. Jen also writes for TV and film. She has written for Netflix and Showtime, and is currently in development on original projects with Annapurna, A24, and FX. Education: Brown, Iowa Playwrights Workshop, Juilliard. More info: www.jensilverman.com.

Witch will be directed by Kara-Lynn Vaeni, who last directed In Search of the Sublime, produced by Moonrise Initiative for Stage West, and The Children. The cast features Stage West Associate Producer Garret Storms, who appeared as Poet 3 in In Search of the Sublime, as Scratch, with Lydia Mackey, whose credits include Second Thought Theatre's production of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again, as Elizabeth. Evan Michael Woods, last at Stage West as Jim in The Lifespan of a Fact, will appear as Cuddy. And making their Stage West debuts are David Lugo, just seen as Mr. Webb in Dallas Theater Center's Our Town, as Sir Arthur, Bradley Atuba, seen as Antonio in Cake Ladies at Dallas Theater, Center as Frank, and Tatiana Lucia Gantt, seen as She in Second Thought Theatre's Sweetpea, as Winnifred.

Set design is by Will Turbyne, with lighting design by Leann Burns, costume design by Murell Horton with assistance by Hannah Martinez, sound design by David Lanza, fight choreography by Jeffrey Colangelo, movement choreography by Kelsey Milbourn, and props and set décor by Lynn Lovett.

Witch will preview Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 and Friday, March 18 at 8:00, and will run through Sunday, April 10. All Sunday matinees will be Safe Sundays, with proof of vaccination required. Masks are required for all performances. Performance times will be Thursday evenings at 7:30, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00, with Sunday matinees at 3:00. Ticket prices for the season are $40 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $45 on Saturdays and Sundays, with $20 tickets for the two preview performances. Food service is available 90 minutes prior to performances (reservations are advised). Reservations and information are available through the Box Office (817-784-9378), or on the website, www.stagewest.org.

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