The Crucib*tch: A Feminist Reimagining of Salem
by Alice Graham, Bristol Women’s Voice Volunteer
With Trump’s assault on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI), his cuts to international aid, and the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a woman, the importance of sisterhood and allyship has never felt more urgent.
Recentering Sisterhood as Political Force
In The Crucib*tch, a witty adaptation of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 are reimagined through a sharply feminist lens. Rather than treating sisterhood as a peripheral element tied to the young female characters’ witchiness, it is recentred as a political force – essential to the pursuit and achievement of female justice.
Witchcraft here is less about the supernatural and is instead portrayed as an opportunity for the women of Salem to access a very real, subversive, collective power that challenges the misogynistic status quo of the town. Despite being set in the 17th century, the play speaks in eerie directness to the present. In fact, the most disturbing part of The Crucib*tch is not the girls’ ‘witchy’ behaviour, but its relevance to the current moment.
Underscored by a surreally modern hyper-pop soundtrack, the play ultimately demonstrates how sisterhood – misunderstood as dangerous or unnatural in both 17th-century Salem and the contemporary West – is a genuine and transcendent source of power.
The Drama Unfolds
From its opening scene, sisterhood, not witchcraft, is at the forefront of the drama. Fingers smeared with their menstrual blood, the two female protagonists, Abigail Phillips and Mary Warren, clasp hands – signifying their undeniable bond in a hilariously intense ritual. Jokes aside, their friendship becomes their saving grace in a society that does everything to subjugate women to the rules and routines favoured by the men in Salem.
By the end of the play, Salem has descended into chaos. But this chaos is shown only insofar as the dismantling of societal conventions. As the courts crumble and the men spiral, the women of Salem are emboldened by the opportunity to drive social change.
A Continuing Pattern
As the words ‘wake up’ pulsate in the background, signalling the play’s end, we are reminded of the misogynistic conventions currently embedded in our own society, understanding that the treatment of women in Salem is not a historical anomaly but a continuing trend.
Though it is the end of this witch hunt, this only leaves room for the next, as women’s rights continue to be attacked by politicians in an ugly pattern of inequality. As the audience rose to form a unanimous standing ovation, it seemed for a moment at least that we had learned the importance of sisterhood, forming our own alliance in the face of misogyny in Salem and throughout history.
Find out more about the Crucib*tch here: https://tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/the-crucibtch/
