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Waking the Witch by Ashi Day is an immersive chamber opera set in a time reminiscent of the late 1500’s witch-hunting craze. The piece, originally written for one countertenor, recreates a witch trial, with the audience assuming the role of the accused Witch, and the performer, the role of the Witchfinder.

In Renegade Opera’s production of Waking the Witch, two women embody the role of the Witchfinder, adding a complex layer to a story about historical gendered violence. Witch hunting was never about religion and morality. Ninety percent of those accused of witchcraft in Europe during the early modern period were women. It was about controlling women and their bodies. Unsettling as it is, women wielding patriarchal authority and influence is a reality rarely discussed: one which has persisted throughout history and proceeds today. The production examines the absurdity of power and evil and explores what happens to the body and mind when a person betrays themselves and their community. A story of bodily and psychological disintegration is put forth, where morality and reality become splintered and the role of Witch, Witchfinder and Jury shifts between audience and performer. The result? A world of moral collapse. In this immersive experience, we challenge both the audience and performers to ask themselves: What do we do in the face of evil? How do we respond? Is complicity a choice?

Directed by Iona Boyd and starring Abigail Krawson and Madeline Ross as Witchfinders, this landscape of moral uncertainty is animated by shadowy interrogators (shadow puppetry by Becca Wirta and Claire Aldridge of Basement Stair Collective) and other-worldly costumes designed by Kelli McDonough. The opera is music directed by Danielle Jagelski, and accompanied by a chamber orchestra of flickering animal familiars (Ricky Smith, clarinet; Cecille Elliott, violin; Savannah Gentry, flute; Colleen Bernstein, percussion; Hannah Early, piano; and Erin Ratzlaf, cello).

The libretto, also written by Ashi Day, is based on language from surviving witch trial documents of the 1500's as well as speeches from modern-day world leaders.