Witches Can't be Burned (2020)

Witches Can’t Be Burned is a practice-based research project initiated by Silva Semerciyan, Drama Lecturer at Bath Spa University, wherein the creation of a playscript became both an instrument and a process for challenging institutional sexism. The play investigated Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the historical case of the Salem Witch trials through the lens of feminist critical theory to create a diverse narrative, which opened up dialogue about the representation of girls and women in so called ‘masterpieces’. It was commissioned by the National Theatre as part of their Connections Festival 2020 in which 19 youth theatre companies across the UK would perform the play. Methuen Drama, an imprint of Bloomsbury, published the play in their anthology, National Theatre Connections 2020: Plays for Young People, in 2020.

This Collection comprises the output in the form of the play script, and contextualising information in the form of a 300-word statement, research timeline and research questions, video of a performance excerpt, and a video interview between Semerciyan and theatre director Orla O'Loughlin.