WITCH HUNT OR, A DISCOURSE ON THE WONDERS OF THEINVISIBLE WORLD

by Liz Duffy Adams

Ten years after Abigail Williams, instigator of the witch trials, disappeared from Salem, she turns up at the tavern of her fellow ex witch-hunter, Mercy Lewis. About to leave the colonies forever, it’s her last chance to understand the madness that overtook them. But with war threatening northern New England yet again, Mercy and her fellow townspeople are in no mood for Abigail’s doubts, which suggest to them complicity with the devil. And just when everything is at its most dangerously tense—the devil himself shows up.

“Adams has a way of transforming ominous situations into thought provoking entertaining experiences, and she handles the premise of the Salem witch trials with care that ends up being thoughtful, mysterious, and if I dare say, startlingly funny.”—DC Theatre Scene

“A witty, somber and thought provoking play.”—San Diego Theater Examiner

Production Notes

Character List:

(3W, 3M) MERCY LEWIS: A widowed tavern-keeper, late 20s,Anglo-American.

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS: A woman, early–to–mid 20s, Anglo-American.

REBEKKAH: A girl working for Mercy, early-to-mid teens,Anglo-American.

REVEREND PECK: A man, middle-aged or older, Anglo-American.

JUDAH: A farmer, 20s to 40s, Anglo-American.

JOHN FOX: A man, 20s to 30s, half Abenaki and half anything else.

The actors may be cast older across the board, but Rebekkah should read as a young girl.

Time: 1702, ten years after the Salem witch trials.One night from sunset to sunrise in late spring.

Place: A small tavern on the northern New England coast.

Author

Liz Duffy Adams

Liz Duffy Adams’ play Born With Teeth, recipient of a 2021 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, had its world premiere at the Alley Theater in 2022. Her Or, premiered Off Broadway at WP Theater and has been produced some 80 times since, including at the Magic Theater, Seattle Rep, and Roundhouse Theatre. Her work has also premiered or been developed at Contemporary American Theater Festival, Humana Festival, Bay Area Theater Festival, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, Greater Boston Theater Company, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, Crowded Fire, Shotgun Players, and Cutting Ball, and includes Dog Act; The Salonnières; Dear Alien; A Discourse on Wonders of the...[FULL BIO]