Taking the Stage 2022 - The Well

1886. Pouilloux, rural France. Claudine thinks she needs to be careful. Yes, she must be careful at the well. When she draws the water, the bucket feels heavy as stones. When she boils the water, the smell is foul. After she’s drunk the water, wooden crosses appear around her house. Is this witchcraft? Or something more sinister…? This scratch piece is based on a true story, and has developed from research into 19th-century criminal trials involving witchcraft. This research took place at the University of Bristol during 2019, as part of the project ‘Creative Histories of Witchcraft, France 1790 - 1940’.The archival reference for the original documents and material relating to the Auloi trial is Archives Départementales de l’Aube, 2 U 738.

Poppy Corbett

Poppy Corbett is a writer, director, and theatre academic based in London. Last year she was a playwright on the Old Vic 12 scheme, writing a contemporary farce, Fake Melania. In 2013 her play Hatchling was the winner of the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s inaugural ‘Pitch Your Play’ competition, run by their in-house charity Masterclass. Poppy has developed a special interest in writing plays that draw on historical archives. In 2019, she was Research Associate on the project ‘Creative Histories of Witchcraft’ at the University of Bristol, working collaboratively with the poet Anna Kisby, and the historian Dr Will Pooley. She is currently Lecturer in Creative Writing at Newcastle University, with a focus on teaching theatre script. She has a PhD in contemporary theatre of the real, and supervises theatre practice, applied theatre and producing students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Deirdre McLaughlin - Director & Dramaturg

A multi-award-winning London-based director and dramaturg who combines her work as an artist, facilitator and producer to develop new work with a social purpose that pushes boundaries and explores creative approaches to integrating access. She has worked in the UK and USA since 2008, across a range of platforms and disciplines, but with a focus on developing new work and interdisciplinary practices. Deirdre is currently the recipient of the Genesis Award and will be directing a forthcoming production at Young Vic in June 2022. Her professional industry credits include Shakespeare’s Globe, National Theatre Studio, Old Vic Labs, Theatre Royal Haymarket, SPILL Festival, Arts Admin & Toynbee Studios, Tempting Failure, Unlimited, artsdepot, Camden People’s Theatre, Theatre Utopia, Orphee Productions, The Place, Stratford Circus, Battersea Arts Centre, Finborough Theatre, The Pleasance (Islington), Dance City (Newcastle), Unity Theatre (Liverpool),Cambridge Junction, Panic Lab, The Yard, Hackney Showroom, Hackney Studios, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, Quantum Theatre, Powerhouse Theatre and New York Stage & Film, and award[1]winning productions at Edinburgh Fringe (World Fringe Alliance Award 2018), Adelaide Fringe (Best Cabaret Weekly, Overall Innovation Award 2017) and Vault Festival (Origins Award 2018).