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Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern
Education Work Pack | Produced by Out of Joint Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern is a co-‐production with Watford
Palace Theatre and Arcola Theatre with Eastern Angles. Order the script of the play at a discount from our bookshop: www.outofjoint.co.uk
Hannah Hutch and Rachel Sanders in rehearsal
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Index Introduction 3 Aim 3 Structure 3 Rebecca Lenkiewicz 3 Ria Parry 4 Summary of the play 4 Research 5 Walkern 5
The Characters 5 History of Witchcraft in England 7 Structure of the Church of England 8 Essay: Witchcraze by Dr. Roberta Anderson 8 Rough Music: Excerpt from our Interview with Owen Davies 10
Rehearsals 11
In the Rehearsal Room: Towards an Ensemble 11 Creating Characters 13 Units and Structure 16
The World of the Play: Design 20 Bibliography (Articles, audio visual and reading material) 21 Production Credits 23
Cat Simmons and David Acton in rehearsals.
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Introduction Aim The resources, research and information in this study pack are intended to enhance our audiences’ enjoyment and understanding of our work. These resources illustrate the process that was embarked on in rehearsals by the director, the cast, the rest of the creative team and the writer. The pack aims to assist in the practical study of the text. It works alongside the workshops Out of Joint provide, led by the Director, a cast member or our Education Director. These resources are aimed at anyone with an interest in theatre wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the process it took to create this production. Structure The research section offers information about the social and political context surrounding the play. We have also put together a bibliography of our sources to use as references. During rehearsals we had the support of Professor Owen Davies of the University of Hertfordshire a leading expert on Witchcraft and author of several books (included in the bibliography). We’ve included an excerpt of the fascinating information he shared with the cast. The rehearsal section covers the analysis and rehearsal work that has gone into putting this production together. This includes director Ria Parry’s rehearsal process, as well as the challenges of working on an ensemble piece, and a conversation with her about the design of the play. We hope that you find the materials interesting and enjoyable. If there is anything more you would like to know about Jane Wenham, the page-‐to-‐stage process of an Out of Joint production, or if you would like to book a workshop, please contact Isabel Quinzaños on 0207 609 0207 or at [email protected]. Rebecca Lenkiewicz Born in 1968 in Plymouth, Lenkiewicz originally did a BA in Film and English at the University of Kent, later doing a BA Acting Course at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Initially she worked as an actor at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, notably in Sir Peter Hall's production of The Bacchae. Lenkiewicz has written many notable plays, is best known as the author of Her Naked Skin (2008), which was the first original play written by a living female playwright to be performed on the Olivier stage of the National Theatre. She has periodically returned to the Arcola Theatre where Jane Wenham, The Witch of Walkern will be performing in January 2016. In fact her first play, Soho: A Tale of Table Dancers, which she wrote for the Royal Shakespeare Company Fringe was the first play to be staged at the Arcola Theatre in 2001. Lenkiewicz won a BAFTA for co-‐writing the film Ida. The film won the Oscar for Best Film in a Foreign Language.
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Ria Parry Ria Parry is Co-‐Artistic Director of Iron Shoes. She received the Leverhulme Director’s Bursary in 2010–11, becoming Director in Residence at the National Theatre Studio. Directing includes Mad About The Boy by Gbolahan Obisesan (Edinburgh Festival and National Tour), Fen by Caryl Churchill (Finborough Theatre), Rewind (a devised production made in collaboration with young refugees and asylum seekers), and a young people's production of King Lear (both at the Young Vic), Our Hearts in the Balance (British Museum), Crush by Paul Charlton (Edinburgh Festival and National Tour). For Box Clever Theatre she has directed tours of Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, The Hate Play and The Buzz. Ria was previously a Creative Producer at Watford Palace Theatre, and a member of the first Step Change Cultural Leadership Programme. Summary of the Play Walkern, Hertfordshire, 1712. It has been almost a lifetime since the persecution of witchery was its height. So it is a great shock when outsider Eleanor Thorn is convicted and hung for witchcraft. Her adolescent daughter Ann Thorn, is taken care of by her mother’s hermit-‐like friend, Jane Wenham. Meanwhile, young and zealous Reverend Samuel Crane arrives in Walkern to take over the parish. He is a believer in witchcraft and is sure that the recent hanging means there are other witches to be found. He therefore embarks on an investigation of the village that leads him to dig up the community’s secrets. When a child is found drowned in a stream, the whole village is propelled into witch hunting mode, and the prime suspect is outsider and loner Jane Wenham, with her mysterious knowledge of herbs and ability to cure all kinds of ailments. With the whole village out to get her, Jane’s outlook is bleak. The play takes us through the process of collective euphoria and persecution of a village scapegoat.
Ria Parry in rehearsals
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Research Walkern Walkern is located 2 miles from Stevenage, in East Hertfordshire on the River Beane. The parish church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest village church in Hertfordshire, with a Saxon wall dating back to the middle of the 10th century. The Walkern History Society (www.walkernhistorysociety.co.uk) has a comprehensive account on the village’s most interesting history and notable characters. Characters Jane Wenham was 70 years old when brought to trial for witchcraft. She was reputed to be a cunning woman in the village of Walkern in Hertfordshire. She had been married twice but was deserted by her second husband Edward Wenham, who died not long after their separation. There were rumours that Jane was somehow involved in his death. The trial was initiated by an event that was brought forward to magistrates by Jane herself. Jane had asked Matthew Gilson, a farm worker, for some straw to sell several times, but he continually refused her. On the final time Matthew heard Jane mutter to herself as she walked away. He reported that he had felt strangely compelled to run to a place called Munders Green and collect straw from a dung heap, against his will. His boss, John Chapman, was annoyed by this supposed ‘bewitching’ of his employee. He had been suspicious of Jane for a few years up to this point often referring to her as a ‘witch and a bitch’. Jane had heard Chapman’s claims, so went to the magistrate in order to bring a charge of defamation against him. But she was refused protection, and so she said she would have her justice ‘some other way’. The magistrate, Sir Henry Chauncey, following allegations from a second ‘victim’ issued an arrest warrant for Jane. Ann Thorn, who was a maid to the local Reverend’s wife, had had an accident and put her knee out of joint. It had just been set by the bonesetter, however despite this injury she was found in her room one night, partly clothed clutching a bundle of oak twigs that were wrapped up in her gown. She claimed that she had been compelled to run, along White Hill toward Cromer, and met an old woman in a hood who helped her to
Cunning Woman A term used to describe a person who healed, worked magic, created herbal remedies and provided charms and anti-‐witch spells. They were paid a fee for their
work.
Walkern in 1912; 200 years after Jane Wenham
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bundle up the sticks. The Reverend was a big believer in witchcraft so ordered Anne to burn the sticks on a fire, and the bewitcher of Anne would supposedly appear. Right at that moment, Jane Wenham entered the house. She was the arrested but Jane requested to be put to a trial in an attempt to prove her innocence. She was tested for witch marks, e.g. a third nipple, had pins driven into her body by a ‘Pricker’ to see if her blood flowed. Jane was finally asked to say the Lord’s prayer. She apparently stumbled on reciting, so was subsequently imprisoned. The next day she was asked to recite it again, but made the same mistake, most likely due to exhaustion, confusion and fear of the consequences she would face. At her trial, evidence was given to support the stories of Matthew and Ann, as well as cases of two children dying, the deaths of sheep and other livestock, the appearance of multiple cats in the village and people reportedly ‘skipping about and standing on their heads’. When one of the witnesses accused Jane of being able to fly, Justice Powell remarked: ‘there is no law against that!’ The character of Francis Hutchinson is an amalgamation of said Justice Powell and the real Bishop of Down and Connor, who was a fervent non-‐believer in witches and published various influential pamphlets scorning the methods used to uncover witches. A jury found Wenham guilty of conspiring with the devil in the form of a cat. Justice Powell sentenced her to death, but was not convinced by the evidence put forward, so set aside her conviction and requested a Royal Pardon from Queen Anne herself. This appeal was won by Lord Chancellor William Cowper, who obtained a pardon for Jane, which stated that she live in a cottage on the Cowper estate at Hertingfordbury. Here she lived a peaceful life until her death in 1729. Many pamphlets were published arguing both for and against Jane’s release. Reverend Francis Bragge, the newly appointed curate of Biggleswade, was so enraged by the outcome of the appeal he rushed home immediately to write a pamphlet. He was son of the fanatical Rector of Hitchin, and appeared to want to live up to his father’s reputation. The character of Samuel Crane partly inspired by him. The characters of Priddy Goodstern, Saul, Bridget Hurst, Kemi Martha and Fergal McGuire are all fictional; they were created by Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Max Stafford-‐Clark in a two-‐week workshop at the National Theatre Studio in early 2012.
How to Find a Witch Pricking: It was believed that a witch could be discovered by pricking their skin with dagger-‐like instruments. If the pricker could find a spot in the witch’s body that did not issue blood when punctured, this would be a sign of the devil. It was not enough to covict, but it added to the evidence. Trick devices from the period have been discovered, such as tools with retractable blades, used by professional prickers to fake a result – and justify their fee. Witches’ marks and teats: Marks such as scars, moles or rashes found on the body could be signs left by the devil, while an extra nipple could be seen as a place where the devil himself might suckle. Swimming: The hands and feet of the accused were tied together, the thumb of the right hand to the big toe of the left foot and vice versa. She was then wrapped up in a large sheet or blanket and thrown into a river. If she sank, she was declared innocent, but established her innocence at the cost of her life; if she floated, which was generally the case as clothes would support the weight of the victim for a while, she was pronounced guilty and hanged. Reciting the Lord’s Prayer: The witch would be asked to recite the Lord’s Prayer during interrogation. As this often was a situation of extreme duress, the victim would make a mistake out of nervousness, which would be construed as a sign that she was ruled by the devil. Walking All Night: The witch would be kept up all night by being walked continuously up and down a room, an attendant holding each arm until she dropped with fatigue.
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History of Witchcraft in England Starting with the Old Testament, the Bible distinctly recognises the existence of witchcraft: “Let not a witch live” is the command given in Exodus (chapter XXII). Similar threats against witches and wizards frequently occur is the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The Church at a very early period admitted the existence of witchcraft and fulminated against all who practised it. Statutes against witchcraft were enacted by Parliament and the offence was both tried and punished by the civic power; these were passed in the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth and James I. These statutes are a proof that the existence of witchcraft was generally believed in. To deny its existence was considered equal to a confession of atheism. The accession of James I (James VI of Scotland) a professed demonologist and an expert in all matters relating to witchcraft, gave a great impulse to the persecution of witches in England. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 James had been King of England for three years. King James symbolised the union of the Scottish and English crowns. Shakespeare might have been trying to win his approval by introducing the 'three weird sisters' into the play. In 1644 Matthew Hopkins, from Manningtree in Essex, started his notorious career as a witch-‐finder. As his reputation grew, he extended his operation over the whole of Essex and in a very short time if any case of supposed witchcraft occurred he was sent for as an acknowledged expert. Hopkins took up witch finding as a vocation, one which provided him with a comfortable livelihood. Assuming the title of ‘Witch-‐finder General’ he travelled through Essex, Norfolk, Huntingdon and Sussex. The test he generally adopted was that of swimming which James I recommends with much unction in his book Deamonologie. Towards the end of the 17th century a disbelief in witchcraft grew in the public mind. Amongst the educated classes, the superstitious belief was much faster to disappear, in comparison to the poor who remained fascinated by it. Although convictions became rarer, accusations and trials continued until the closing years of the 18th century. It is generally believed that the last time an English jury brought in a verdict of guilty in a case of witchcraft was in 1712, when a poor Hertfordshire peasant woman named Jane Wenham, was tried before Mr. Justice Powell. But there is record of an execution for witchcraft (Mary Hicks and her daughter) taking place in 1716. In January 1736 an old woman of Frome was dragged from her sick bed, put on a saddle and kept in a pond for nearly an hour in front of more than 200 people; she died as soon as she was brought out of the water. In June 1760 at Leicester; in June 1875 at Northampton; and in April 1829 at Monmouth people were tried for ducking (another word for the swimming ritual) supposed witches. On September 4, 1863 a Frenchman died of an illness induced by being ducked as a wizard in a pond in Essex.
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Structure of the Church of England The play features an on-‐going confrontation between Reverend Samuel Crane and Bishop Frances Hutchinson. As you can see from the diagram below illustrating the structure of hierarchy within the Church of England, under normal circumstances Bishop Hutchinson would have had authority over Reverend Crane in the matter of the conviction of Jane Wenham. However, in our story, the Bishop is only temporarily in Walkern, as his own home in Ireland (his diocis is Down and Connor) is currently being repaired. That means that Reverend Crane’s direct superior is the Bishop of Ely (who does not appear in the play). Here is some more information about how the Church of England is organised: The Church of England is organised into two provinces; each led by an archbishop (Canterbury for the Southern Province and York for the Northern). These two provinces cover England, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly and even a small part of Wales. Each province is built from dioceses. There are 41 in England. Each diocese is divided into parishes. The parish is the heart of the Church of England. Each parish is overseen by a parish priest (usually called a vicar or rector). Parish priests are very involved with the key issues and problems affecting the whole community.
Tim Delap in rehearsals.
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Witchcraze: Women In a programme essay, academic Dr Roberta Anderson examines the growth and decline in witch persecutions and considers why women were particularly vulnerable. You can read the essay in the programme-‐script for Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern. Here are some of her insights. Why were women so vulnerable to being accused of witchcraft? Almost all pre-‐modern societies believed in witchcraft and made some attempts to control those practicing it. But it was only in the early modern period that these beliefs led to large-‐scale hunts and executions. It is difficult to estimate how many died, but most historians agree that during the height of the hunts somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 people were tried and of those 50,000 to 100,000 executed. This dramatic upsurge in witch trials was often called the ‘witchcraze’. A huge proportion of those accused and killed were women. Here’s some background: Women were the preservers of popular culture It has been argued the “witchcraze” was part of a larger struggle by the elites to suppress popular culture, and to force those in rural areas to assimilate urban values. Women were the preservers and transmitters of popular culture, and so particularly suspect. There were increasing numbers of unmarried women During the sixteenth century, there were more unmarried women who were seen as out of the control of a man, and hence more suspect. This happened because people married at a later age, the number of people who never married also increased, female life expectancy rose, and male life expectancy decreased as a result of religious wars. Women were less powerful Women were seen as having less physical, economic, and political power than men, and therefore likelier to resort scolding, cursing and casting spells. Women worked with the young and the sick Women worked in areas of life in which witchcraft appeared to explain tragic events: they watched over animals which could die mysteriously; prepared food which could become spoiled inexplicably; nursed the sick of all ages who could die without warning; and cared for children who were even more likely to die unexpectedly. Some women embraced their reputation for witchcraft We might assume that women would do everything they could to avoid accusations of witchcraft, but a reputation for witchcraft could protect a woman and some embraced it. This might explain the number of women who confessed to being witches without the application or even threat of torture—after years of providing magical services, they were as convinced as their neighbours of their own powers. Women accused women Women number prominently amongst accusers and witnesses because the actions witches were initially charged with were generally part of women’s sphere. Household or neighbourhood antagonisms often led to accusations, particularly between those women who knew each other’s lives intimately, such as servants and mistresses or close neighbours.
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Rough Music: A Shaming Ritual On Friday 4th September, Professor Owen Davies from the University of Hertfordshire talked to the cast and creative team of Jane Wenham about his area of expertise: Witchcraft. Here is an excerpt detailing the ritual of Rough Music, which features in our play. Rough music was a shaming ritual in which a crowd would make noise banging meat cleavers, pans and pots, etc., outside someone’s house in order to shame them publicly. There’s evidence of this ritual from the medieval period onwards. It was a form of popular justice originally directed at people such as millers who undersold their wheat (an underhand way to make money out of your community). In addition to the noise, the ‘shamers’ would often create and exhibit some kind of effigy of the shaming target. The most common reason for rough music was to proclaim a cuckold (a man who has been cheated on by his wife), as this was considered a shameful thing for a man to allow to happen. The community would humiliate the cuckold, sometimes formally by hanging horns (a sign of cuckoldry) on the door and they would parade around, playing loud discordant music. Some of them were quite sophisticated. There was a Somerset case in the 1860s where everybody in the village thought that the vicar was sleeping with his servant. The villagers started pinning messages on the vicar’s door to show that ‘they know what he had done’. This activity continued, until it built up to the point of a big rough music; the vicar called the police and magistrates to get these people arrested but his reputation was ruined and he ended up having to move away. This ritual was seldom pre meditated. It often sprung in the heat of the moment, starting in a pub after a few drinks, mainly driven young men. Certainly, it was mostly men that were prosecuted afterwards for breach of peace; there were police records of minor trials and fines issued as a result. It was the new police of the 1850s, which enabled local magistrates to start suppression. Before this decade, and certainly during the time of Jane Wenham, being a constable was not a paid role. It was appointed by finding someone who could read to take it on. It was
Rachel Sanders in rehearsals.
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thought of as an honour (the person was appointed a royal officer) but because they were not paid often people would pay others to do this job for them. The main issue stems from the constable being a member of the community; as such he would have protected the interest of the community. Often the constables would witness the rough music and not arrest anyone but remain there to ensure the episode occurred without violence. If the subject of the village’s shaming presented a complaint the constable would reluctantly step in and arrest the offenders on lower charges of disrupting the peace; as the constable’s sympathies would lie with the community. Cases of rough music are very interesting expressions of popular justice; a form of public humiliation adept to punish those who commit a cultural or social crime. In modern times, shaming continues to be used in social context, although with technology playing a part it is done using social media. Rehearsals In the Rehearsal Room: Towards an Ensemble Theatre is a collaborative art, and as such a company working together is central to the process of creating a play, whether it is a play that is driven by one character’s plot line (for example, Hedda Gabler) or an “ensemble” play (such as Our Town or A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Although Jane Wenham, The Witch of Walkern is based on historical facts, Rebecca Lenkiewicz weaved in various other real and fictional characters and the story is driven by all members of the company. Director Ria Parry used various techniques and exercises to bring the company together. These include games and exercises that help relax and focus the actors in the company, as well as encouraging teamwork through gaining trust and confidence.
Judith Coke in rehearsals.
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Here are some of the exercises used in rehearsal. In the first week of the rehearsal process more time was spent on these activities; as the weeks went by, shortened versions of them became warm ups before running a scene or an act in rehearsals. Games:
1) Question vs. Statement-‐ the company is divided into two groups. A challenger from each group steps forward. The referee names the round: question or statement. The challengers must in turns hold a conversation that is either purely in the form of questions or of statements. The first one to make a mistake loses the round; the opposing team gains a point. WARNING: this game sounds a lot simpler than it really is!
2) Eyes Up and Down-‐ the company all stand in a circle, quite close to each other. The group leader gives the instruction eyes down, and everyone looks at the floor. When the instruction is for eyes up, everyone in the company should look into the place where another person’s eyes would be. If two people happen to make eye contact when this happens, they are to leave the circle. The last person standing (or last two people, if it is an even number in the group) wins. Watch out for cheats!
3) Three Things in Common-‐ whilst walking around the room (sometimes called balancing the space), the company is asked to divide into groups of two, three or four people. Once in groups, they are given a minute or less to find three things that the group have in common. The group nominates a speaker to share with the company at large. After sharing, the groups dissolve, and everyone resumes balancing the space once more. Again, the company is asked to divide into smaller groups and repeat the exercise. After a few rounds of this, there should be one final round. The groups are given 2 minutes to compile a list of two facts they all have in common, with one lie added in. When these are shared with the company, a representative from the other groups is allowed to ask one question (per group) to try and find out which of the three statements is a lie. Whichever group is able to conceal their lie, or successfully identify the lie of their opponents, is the winner.
Vocal Work:
1) Sing a Round-‐ The company sings a melodic phrase together, i.e. “Rose, rose, rose red, shall I ever see thee wed, aye merry that thy shalt, when thou are dead” (melody in appendix). The short phrase allows for singing in cannon, and even harmonising. This helps the company tune in with one another, as well as doing a great job on warming up their voices!
2) Alphabet Sounds-‐ There are many different versions of this exercise out there. In our rehearsals, we would go through the alphabet, repeating the sound of each letter three times rhythmically. This exercise warms up the voice as well as challenges memory.
Physical Work:
Engaging the body and stretching-‐ There isn’t really a formula for this. Each company will find the most effective set of exercises to do in order to engage the body and warm up. This is in part to help limber up in preparation for movement,
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but also because it is a good reminder that your body has many different ways to express feelings an thoughts-‐ actors aren’t only talking heads. We recommend loosening the joints (hips, shoulders, wrists and ankles), as most common injuries happen there.
Creating Characters The company compiled a timeline of everything that happens in the play. Once we had a basic timeline we were able to layer in additional information from assumptions that we make about events that took place before the first scene. For instance: when did Fergal’s affair with the Widow begin, and how long has the Bishop Hutchinson been in Walkern? Take a look at our timeline: [BEFORE THE PLAY BEGINS]
• Hutchinson goes to America, meets Kemi and rescues her from a life of slavery. (5 years before)
• Hutchinson has a crisis of faith upon his return to Ireland, and is forced into a sabbatical in Walkern under the excuse of repairing his estate (2 years before)
• Eleanor Thorn is accused of witchcraft and imprisoned to await trial (6 months before)
• Hutchinson begins campaign to free Eleanor • Ann Thorn begins sleeping with multiple men at the Lander’s Farm
Andrew Macklin in rehearsals
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• Fergal and Widow begin having an affair (3 months before) • Effie becomes ill; Bridget Hurst refuses Jane Wenham’s help (1 week before) • Shauna (Fergal’s wife) has 5th miscarriage (5 days before) • Eleanor Thorn is tried and sentenced to death by hanging after 6 months in prison
(2 days before) • Crane arrives in Walkern the day before Eleanor’s hanging. He watches Jane
Wenham in the woods, hears Fergal and the Widow and starts meeting with village folk. (1 day before)
• The morning of the hanging: Kemi and Hutchinson argue in their garden about going to Devon. Fergal sees Effie running around. Eleanor Thorn is hung; her body is cut down half an hour after and taken to a cart.
[PLAY BEGINS] Day 1 (starting at dusk)
• Widow takes Ann to wash mother’s body. Priddy warns Fergal. • Hutchinson and Crane meet for the first time. • Ann goes to Jane confesses about what she has been doing in the barn. Kane and
Ann argue, Ann runs away. • Kemi washes clothes by the river. • Priddy, Bridget and Ann meet in the woods to talk about their sexual encounters
with “the devil”. Ann opens up about the girl she slept with three years before. • Kemi weaves and sings. • Widow and Saul are at the alehouse after hanging. Both profited from the event.
Crane comes in and meets Saul. Crane and the Widow have time alone-‐ they pray and are found by Fergal who is drunk.
• Effie drowns; Fergal finds her and alerts the others. [INTERVAL] Day 2:
• Ann begins work at the Bishop’s, Jane Wenham takes a grief posset to Bridget who rejects it, Crane visits Bridget.
Day 3
• Kemi goes to offer help with Bridget’s children and is rejected. The Bishop and Crane argue about the cause of Effie’s death.)
• Ann meets Jane in a field. Ann tells Jane about her sexual preferences. Jane rejects Ann and hits her. Ann runs away.
• Widow grieves Effie’s death. Crane comes to see her and through the course of his visit it is apparent that he is attracted to her. He confronts her about the affair with Fergal and asks her to pray with him. The Widow asks him to leave.
• Ann and Kemi sew together. They bond. Hutchinson sends Ann to bed and asks Kemi to have sex with him.
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• Ann goes to the bridge where Effie dies and meets Fergal and Bridget there. Ann plants the idea of Jane Wenham being the culprit for Effie’s death and Bridget accuses Jane of witchcraft.
• Priddy and Bridget sit in the woods drinking. Priddy tells Bridget about being sexually abused as a child. Bridget grieves Effie’s death.
Day 4 -‐ The day of Effie’s Funeral
• Bridget is in a fever. Hutchinson, Crane and Kemi watch over her. In her delirium she collects sticks, finds a crooked pin and blames Jane Wenham. Crame uses this as conclusive evidence for Jane’s guilt.
• Jane is at home. She is ambushed by a group of villagers that shame her with rough music and kill her cockerel (James). They keep her up all night.
Day 5
• Pre-‐Trail at Hutchinson’s house. Ann testifies against Kane. Jane fails to get through the Lord’s Prayer. Crane decides to call the Pricker.
• Kemi sings by a tree and weaves • Jane is sent to prison; Hutchinson goes to see Queen Anne to seek a reprieve.
Day 6
• Jane wakes in prison. Crane, the Pricker and Ann come to inspect her. Jane is pricked, even after she faints. Ann repents and takes back her testimony but is ignored by Crane. The Pricker finds a ‘devil’s mark’ on Jane’s crippled leg.
• Widow and Fergal sit at the alehouse. Saul interrupts them and tells them about Ann taking back her testimony , the Bishop seeking the reprieve and about having sex with Ann. The Widow throws him out, and then breaks up the affair with Fergal.
Day 7
• Kemi visits Jane at the prison. Cares for her leg. Reveals she will leave for Devon. • Kemi goes home to pack her bags and leave a note for the bishop.
Day 8
• Crane goes to see Jane to get a confession; Jane has made peace with death. Asks to pray with him. Crane has a vision that shakes and confuses him. The Bishop and Ann arrive, the Bishop has a reprieve. Jane is freed, but she is angry about the conditions that come with it. Crane is ‘Defeated’.
• Kemi tells Hutchinson goodbye. She throws her ribbons in the river and walks away. Additionally, each actor created a timeline for each of their characters, which encompassed their lives before the play which supports the background information they created for their characters. Read the play and make a list of all the questions about each character that needs answering. This will help you focus on the necessary research to get done and when you find the information, you can start plotting it against the timeline.
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Units and Structure Ria Parry employs Stanislavskian techniques in rehearsals. The use of Units of Action is one such technique. Units are sections of a plays action, dividing scenes into manageable chunks for the purpose of dramatic exploration in rehearsals. This helps break up each scene and focus the action in each bit, to help make specific choices. Here is an extract from the text; the first two units are marked out. Why don’t you try finishing the rest of the scene? Remember the key is that the company agrees on the sections and the driving force behind them. SCENE THREE. A stream. Night. ANN THORN washes herself. She is grieving. ANN: I am become my mother. I feel that noose around my neck. All of me burns. My back keeps feeling like it will snap. Like a branch. I feel sick. She listens intently. Jane? Jane? Are you there? JANE: I am here. ANN: I thought you’d left me. I thought for a moment you’d died. JANE: No. Not dead. ANN: My blood won’t stop. I keep washing it away and then there is more.
1-‐ Ann is processing her mother’s death
Hannah Hutch in rehearsals.
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JANE: Shock . Come out now. Dry yourself. You will catch cold. ANN: I thought you had gone. JANE: No. ANN climbs out of the water and comes to JANE who gives her a shawl to dry herself with. ANN: There were men in that crowd who were cheering and spitting. And they had known my mother. She had done for them. And they were shouting with the rest of them. JANE: You should have come to me. Not been there. ANN: Mother wanted me there. She said she needed to know I’d be there. JANE: That was wrong of her. ANN: Because she loved me that strong. She said she would look into the crowd and remember me as a child. How she would touch the back of my neck and the down of it was so soft and she needed to know that such softness would be there at her death. Such pains I have Jane. Here. JANE: You have the same troubled womb as your mother. We’ll go and I shall put you abed. You must go to the Bishop’s tomorrow though. James does not like to share ground. ANN: I shan’t sleep Jane. I will have to wake up and remember afresh what has happened. JANE: You will sleep and you will endure. ANN: What will I do? JANE: When I was your age the fever was all over the country. In London people lost all their kin. My father was working the docks in Tilbury. He died of it. My mother lost her mind for a while. I looked after her and waited for the world to end. Punishment I thought. But the world it did go on. ANN: Eleanor is all my kin. JANE: Your ma lived a full life. Most of the folk in this ditch lead a half life.
2-‐ Ann and Jane struggle to connect
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ANN: But they will die in their bed.. lying down.. and not wretched. JANE: They will not see the colours or places she did though. She’s gone now. No more pain. See if you agree with the units above and the driving forces and see if you can continue below. ANN: The new Reverend wants to talk with us. About witchery. What will you say? JANE: I have nothing to tell him. You? ANN: You were accused when you were my age. JANE: They made me into half of a cripple in Hertford gaol. But if I’d been able to run I would not have read and thought so much as I have. ANN: Did the people spit at you? When they let you go? JANE: For sure. They threw apples at me. And stones. And they spat. And when one rock got my eye and I was floored they kicked me and they chanted. But I had my husband. He picked me up from the ground and walked me through them. ANN: I cannot see thee married. JANE: I was scared for him to see my leg. The twist of it. The angry colour of it. I felt he would not love a young cripple. But he kissed my shin and he rubbed my ankle.. wept he did, holding my bruised leg.. and he loved me the more for it. “This is my Jane!” he shouted as we left the gaol. “ And any bastard who wants to hurt her answers to me. Anyone who says a word feels my hand upon them. This is the best woman!” And then a young child threw another rock. And my husband he leant me against the wall gentle. And he picked the stone up and gave it back to the boy. “ Child,” he said,” You do not understand what you do but there is a right place for everything. The stone’s place is upon the ground.” ANN: How did they take you? Did the witch finder come? JANE: The pricker it was. The parish constable he was a case and he sent for the pricker.. if he pricked and named you a witch.... six pounds he got. That’s as much as a labourer earnt in a month. “How many can I do in a day?” he must have been thinking.. “Young girls should keep their stockings pulled up.”, my mother would say. And… “Don’t let the devil whisper into your ear.” Then there was old John Dickson the bastard. ANN: Who was he?
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JANE: John Dixon was a woman. Dressed up as a man. Pricking women.. her own kind.. and getting them killed. Ignorant bitch.. Let’s go now. ANN: I shall go to hell. And be with my mother again. JANE: You’re not going there. You’ve done nothing. Have you? ANN: I did meet with Priddy Goodstern and Bridget Hurst sometimes and talk about things. JANE: Talking won’t kill you. You didn’t make poppets with them? ANN: No. JANE: Those scolds. They would betray you as much as look at you. ANN: I have such thoughts Jane. Only fit for Hell. JANE: It would take a great deal to send a child to Hell. ANN: You will hate me. JANE: I will neither judge nor hate. You must treat me as your mother now. ANN: No. You’re not my mother. JANE: I’ll boil us up some nettle beer and you’ll sleep on the pallet with James. ANN: I’m so cold. JANE: Borage we need. And vetivert . And broom. .. a cooling to kill the cramps. You will have a proper room and meals at the Bishop’s. Work is a blessing Ann. We go nearer to God with work. ANN: I don’t want to live with strangers Jane. People say he takes her. JANE: People…. You could always go tramping by yourself. Rain soon.
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The World of the Play: Design Ria Parry and designer James Button (a regular collaborator) begin by reading the play individually and then coming together to discuss all the elements of the play that need to be achieved practically. These include locations, special effects and themes. In the case of Jane Wenham they noted that the play happened in multiple locations (e.g. an alehouse, the woods, a cottage, the Bishop’s house…) and that there would be a couple of special effects (the killing of the cockerel, the pricking, the rabbit in the bushes). Themes include the threat of death, female oppression and nature. In creating the design, Ria and James kept going back to the text. They wanted to create a world that would be useful and efficient, that could tour easily, and in which the play’s action could move swiftly between locations. They also needed to evoke the correct historical period. Symbolism was incorporated to represent the themes of the play, as well as create the feel and look of the world. The backdrop is made with charcoal drawings, as charcoal has many beneficial health properties, and this reflects Jane’s fascination with nature. The gallows, meanwhile, are an ever-‐present symbol of the threat of death. The lighting designer Richard Howell helped find further ways to emphasise the themes: a circular lightbox creates a ring around the main playing area; another is contained within the gallows which when lit creates the shape of a cross. Lit together they make the circle-‐and-‐cross female symbol. The result is a design that respects the 1712 setting of the play while creating a subtle reminder that the subjects and themes discussed in the play are still relevant. Ria and composer and sound designer Max Pappenheim decided that sound and music would play a role in driving and supporting the story. The score needed to reflect the epic nature of the story. There was also a need to create music for Kemi’s poem, which weaves through the play and should connect us to Kemi’s story as well as the other women in Walkern; talking about loss, oppression and abuse. Max responded with an atmospheric soundscape and including eerie and beautiful music. Finally, there was the issue of how to present James the cockerel. Ria and James approached puppeteer Matt Hutchinson once they had an idea of what the set would be like. Charcoal was already an important element, so they felt it would be good to incorporate it to the puppet. They also discussed the importance to keep the action around the puppet as natural as possible, meaning that the animation of the cockerel should be discreet and naturalistic. Somewhere between feeling and looking like a real chicken and a look that fits within the world of the play. Matt responded very well to this brief-‐ James the cockerel looks like it belongs to the world of the play with its charcoal colour and feel, but has the ability to move in a naturalistic way.
Amanda Bellamy in rehearsal with James the Cockerel
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Bibliography (Articles, audio visual and reading material) Website: Barber, J. (2015) Jane Wenham of Walkern, 1712 [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/page_id__6160.aspx?path=0p4p470p. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Dæmonologie Index. (2015) Dæmonologie. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sacred-‐texts.com/pag/kjd/. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Hertfordshire Genealogy: Occupations. (2015) The Inns & Public Houses of Walkern. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.hertfordshire-‐genealogy.co.uk/data/places/places-‐w/walkern/walkern-‐public-‐houses.htm. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Hiduth. (2015) Witchcraft: Witch Hunts [ONLINE] Available at: http://hiduth.com/witchcraft-‐witch-‐hunts/. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: History Learning Site (2015) James I and Witchcraft [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/stuart-‐england/james-‐i-‐and-‐witchcraft/. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Learning Zone -‐ National Library of Scotland. (2015) Activity 1 -‐ Witches in Scottish literature [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.nls.uk/learning-‐zone/literature-‐and-‐language/themes-‐in-‐focus/witches/source-‐1. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2015) Witch [ONLINE] Available at: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: The history of witches in Britain. (2015) Witches in Britain. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.historic-‐uk.com/CultureUK/Witches-‐in-‐Britain/. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: The Sloane Letters Blog. (2015) The Tale of Jane Wenham: an Eighteenth-‐century Hertfordshire Witch? [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sloaneletters.com/the-‐tale-‐of-‐jane-‐wenham/. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2015) Pendle witches [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_witches. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Walkern History Society. (2015) Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.walkernhistorysociety.co.uk/index.php/historical-‐highlights/jane-‐wenham/. [Accessed 17 September 2015]. Website: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2015) Daemonologie [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemonologie. [Accessed 17 September 2015].
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For a full list of Professor Owen Davies’ extensive work, please go to: http://vuh-‐la-‐risprt.herts.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/owen-‐davies(f0d6f1f0-‐37f4-‐4107-‐bb4c-‐91e2d36fab2e)/publications.html?page=0 Book: Davies, O. Mar. (2015) Magic in Common and Legal Perspectives. In: Collins, D. J. (ed.) The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press, p. 521-‐46. Book: Davies, O. & Easton, T. (2015) Cunning-‐folk and the Production of Magical Artefacts. In: R Hutton (ed.) Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery, and Witchcraft in Christian Britain: A Feeling for Magic. Palgrave Macmillan. Book: Davies, O. (2008) Decriminalising the witch: The origin of and response to the 1736 Witchcraft Act. In: Newton, J. & Bath, J. (eds.) Witchcraft and the Act of 1604. Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions, vol. 131. Brill, Leiden, p. 207-‐232. Book: Davies, O. (2007) A Comparative Perspective on Scottish Cunning-‐folk and Charmers. In: Goodare, J., Martin, L. & Miller, J. (eds.) Witchcraft and Belief in Early Modern Scotland. Palgrave Macmillan, p. 185-‐205 Book: Davies, O. (2007) Popular Magic: Cunning-‐Folk in English History. Hambeldon Continuum. Article: Davies, O. (1996) Hag-‐riding in Nineteenth-‐Century West Country England and Modern Newfoundland: An Examination of an Experience-‐Centred Witchcraft Tradition. Folklife. 35 (1) p. 36-‐53 Article: Davies, O. (1996) Healing Charms in use in England and Wales 1700-‐1950. Folklore. 107 (1-‐2) p. 19-‐32 Book: W. H. Davenport Adams, (2012) Witch, Warlock, and Magician: Historical Sketches of Magic and Witchcraft in England and Scotland. 1 Edition. Cambridge University Press.
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Production Credits JANE WENHAM Amanda Bellamy PRIDDY GOODSTERN Judith Coke ANNE THORN Hannah Hutchinson WIDOW HIGGINS/BRIDGET HURST Rachel Sanders KEMI MARTHA Cat Simmons FRANCIS HUTCHINGSON/SAUL David Acton SAMUEL CRANE Tim Delap FERGAL MCGUIRE/THE PRICKER Andrew Macklin Director Ria Parry Writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz Designer James Button Lighting Designer Richard Howell Sound Designer Max Pappenheim Puppet Design and Direction Matt Hutchinson Assistant Director Isabel Quinzaños Dialect Coach Kat Hicks Fighting Director Alison de Burgh THANK YOU Thanks to Eimer Sullivan, Professor Owen Davies, Millie Boxall-‐Kalvis and Sofia Zervudachi for their invaluable work on this Education Pack. Rehearsal photography by Richard Davenport.
Judith Coke and David Acton in rehearsals.
