Witchcraft revisits the history of witchcraft trials in Joanna Baillie’s homeland, Scotland, through a conventicle of destitute female characters seeking power, love, and retribution in an elusive and illusory dark devil. The play explores mass hysteria and paranoia in witches and their accusers, in women and men, and examines how individuals struggle to navigate and negotiate in a culture of fear. The play is an important artistic and historical precursor for other dramatic representations of witchcraft, such as Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

The play is an important artistic and historical precursor for other dramatic representations of witchcraft, such as Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Co-directors Louis Patrick Leroux and Christina Iovita’s staging brings Baillie’s drama into the contemporary register, layering live performance with video projection and other multimedia elements as one way to negotiate the temporal and aesthetic distance of the play.

As an artist-in-residence, Louis Patrick Leroux utilized matralab’s facilities over the past two years to realize the film aspects play.

When: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 8 p.m.
Thursday, December 1, 8 p.m.
Friday, December 2, 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 3, 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 4, 2 p.m.

Where: D.B. Clarke Theatre, Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), Sir George Williams Campus

Tickets, $10 regular admission, $5 for students and seniors, are available in person only at the D.B. Clarke Theatre, the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall and at the door. No reservations.

Louis Patrick Leroux is an artist-in-residence at matralab.