Review: LET'S SUMMON DEMONS, VAULT Festival

In a derelict house built on the path walked by the dead in the middle of nowhere in Wales, a coven of witches is brought together by an old friend.

Written by Katy Schutte, Let's Summon Demons is a semi-participatory piece that takes a look at paganism and revenge, wrapping them up in an amusing and lightly spooky show.

On the anniversary of her husband's death, she assembles the crowd to deliver a ritual bound to vindicate her. Schutte is thrilling in her performance: she goes from sweet and delightful to outright vengeful in a subtle journey through power.

A brief horror-inclined prelude anticipates the real core of the piece, which tackles control and abuse. She builds the vibe steadily, easing the audience into a world of folklore and ghost stories to then use them for her character's own darker purposes.

She grabs their attention with charisma and keeps them hooked with natural storytelling abilities while director John Henry Falle establishes a sound sense of community to examine the blind strength of mobs through the chillingly compelling plot.

It's an intriguing play that hides a dark matter and sits right at home in the creepy ambience of The Vaults.

Let's Summon Demons runs at VAULT Festival until 17 March.

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