To Burn a Witch
By James L. Bray.
Product Code: T32000
One-act Play
Drama
Cast size: 4w.
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
Two girls wait in the bare cell room for the questioning to resume. Accused of witchcraft, they are terrified. The Salem community in which they live burns to death those convicted of being "Brides of Satan." Mary refuses to lie—even to save herself—but Ruth, desperately frightened, "confesses." The questioners then turn to Mary, but she cannot bring herself to swear to this lie. Since the two girls have always been so close, the questioners are dissatisfied with the conflicting stories. To save herself, Ruth feigns a seizure in which she deeply implicates her friend Mary. Only one hope remains for Mary now, and in a scene of dramatic power she makes her final choice.
Notes
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show One-act Play
- Product Code T32000
- Minimum Cast Size 4
- Pages of Dialogue 12
- Min. Royalty Rate $40.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 20 min
- Staging Bare stage with props.
Categories
- Target Audience Middle School | High School
- Performing Group Middle School | High School | College Theatre
- Genre Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871294197
Customer Reviews
Powerful Drama!! If you are looking for a piece to showcase your strong girls this is it.
We did this bare stage w/just a few set pieces & subdued lighting ... Great opportunities for skilled teenage actresses.
The play was wonderful. Very appropriate for high school and middle school students. Provides educational information about a time period in our history.
We performed this one-act for the WHFSA Theatre Festival district, sectional and state competitions. It is a wonderful actors' script!
To Burn a Witch provides a perfect way for a cast of four girls to concentrate on developing their acting skills.
To Burn a Witch is a powerful one act. The mood and look of the play is captivating and chilling. The play was ideal for our performance during the Texas Thespian convention. To Burn a Witch is a great choice for a black box show.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
Research the time period for variety in costuming.
Using a more realistic set does help the play come to life. In casting, use girls who look innocent for the parts of Ruth and Mary.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WT White High School | Dallas | TX | 05/08/2025 | 05/08/2025 |
| Olympus High | Salt Lake City | UT | 05/16/2025 | 05/17/2025 |
Downloads
| File Description | File Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Poster | Download |
Poster Suggestions
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- Your local copy shop should be able to create prints from a file saved to disk. They might even be able to increase the size of the poster for you (although some loss of resolution will occur).
Gallery
White Middle School, San Antonio, TX
Jessica Kropp, Mena High School Theatre Dept., Mena, Ark.