The Witching Hour

The Judy Dworin Performance Project's The Witching Hour brings to life the history of the Connecticut witch craze through the untold stories of women who were accused, tried, and convicted as witches in 17th-century Hartford. The Witching Hour explores what happens in communities when difference becomes dangerous, and folk culture—as practiced by herbalists, midwives, women landowners, and indentured servants—clashes with Puritan hierarchical authority. Larger-than-life-size puppets, sets, and costumes by Anne Cubberly create a visual landscape for the innovative blend of dance, text, and music for which the Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble is known.

The gender implications of Hartford's witch hysteria is voiced in The Witching Hour through Wethersfield landowner and accused witch Katherine Harrison, and is seen through the eyes of Addie Avery, a 14-year-old home-schooled student and ninth-generation granddaughter of Mary Sanford, who was executed as a witch in Hartford on June 13, 1662. Addie is currently pursuing the exoneration of her great-grandmother—and all who were convicted as witches in 17th-century Connecticut—by the Connecticut State Legislature. She is working with Senator Andrew Roraback and Representative Mike Lawlor to introduce legislation in the Spring 2008 Legislative Session for the exoneration.

The Witching Hour premiered September 27th, 28th, and 29th, 2007 at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, CT and toured to Eastern Connecticut State University on November 7th as a part of Witches Among Us: A Reconsideration of Witchcraft Studies, a half-day symposium focusing on the events and historical context of the 17th-century Connecticut witch craze.

The Witching Hour was made possible in part through the generous support of The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, The J. Walton Bissell Foundation, The Ensworth Charitable Trust, The Edward C. and Anne T. Roberts Foundation, The Greater Hartford Arts Council, and Wolf ColorPrint. These funders brought The Witching Hour to over 1,000 Hartford and Willimantic-area children with special school performances at Charter Oak Cultural Center, Eastern Connecticut State University, and Trinity College.

The Witching Hour is currently booking for the fall of 2008. Study guides to accompany the performance are available. Contact JDPP at (860) 527-9800 or email jdworinens@earthlink.net for more information.

Reactions to The Witching Hour at Charter Oak Cultural Center

I was wonderfully impressed by THE WITCHING HOUR! Well conceived, beautifully executed, and totally satisfying....(and I am a fussy audience!)
~Brenda Milkofsky, CT River Museum

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY…. That piece is unforgettable.
~Peg McCormick who has also been following JDPP for 20 plus years

Rarely does a historical subject receive such careful and multi-dimensional treatment. The Judy Dworin Performance Project, Inc. spent considerable time researching the historical background of New England witchcraft and the result is at once an intimate look at how the episode affected individuals, while bringing the wider cultural attitudes of 17^th century New England into focus—all with magical movement and evocative use of flowing fabrics, larger than life puppets and shadows. Using the real-life contemporary quest of a young Connecticut woman to exonerate her ancestor and others, the piece uses her narration to pose contemporary puzzlement and horror at the historical events. The effect is both powerful and cathartic.
~Lisa Johnson, Executive Director of the Stanley-Whitman House

Reactions to The Witching Hour at the Trinity College Students' Performance

We were so very impressed with the sophistication and artistry of the show….It was like nothing they had seen and was fun to talk with them about the use of props, especially the brilliant use of the apron. What a striking creative use of that innocent piece of fabric…. One of the parents wondered how much went over their heads. Like the blue cloth, what did it represent. They all knew. It has helped me see the deeper importance of this time period. I will be continuing a few independent History Day projects on related topics and look forward to your study guide. Please let me know if you have any more performances.
~Jennifer Hunt, West Hartford Quest Program

They loved the performance. It is different for them, as they are only exposed to plays, not interpretive dance. I think the images are so strong that they will think about it again and again. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your appreciative audience. I love Judy's work.
~Joyce Teed, Bolton High School

Today, the Art teacher said--Wow, the kids really loved the field trip, they were all talking about it this morning in class!  A lot of the students were talking about how they interpreted the various dances and what they thought it meant in terms of the story…. We talked in class about aspects of the dance…and it generated a lot of great discussion. Nice work with such a simple but artistic set and costumes. Great energy from the performers and wonderful to see the young researcher as the modern narrator heroine. Thanks to everyone for including us!  Some of the students took the study guides home to read as a project, also.   
~Donna Salerno, Synergy Alternative High School

Reactions to The Witching Hour at the Eastern CT State University Students' Performance

The play was intellectually and artistically stimulating to all of us who attended.
We appreciate your effort to make high quality artistic performances available to students.
Viewing a performance such as The Witching Hour can transform a student's view of the arts and of themselves. Please contact me if you plan to sponsor other performances in the future.
~Tony Mingrone, EO Smith

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the performance the other day.  So many of these kids have never been exposed to anything like that…. Until Wednesday the only dramatic performance some of them had witnessed was their own memorization of lines from The Crucible that I assigned them. I think this was a fantastic experience for them. Thank you so much.
~Nicola Able, an Eastern graduate who teaches at Killingly HS and brought her students to the performance

We had a wonderful evening field trip! Students…found it interesting, entertaining and thought provoking.
~Robin Wallace, Bloomfield High School