Maleficium

English · Drama, Horror, Historical Fiction

Witches, curses, and spells are the ingredients of Liz Lochhead's drama, Maleficium. Taking its title from the word for a malicious act of witchcraft, the play draws on real accounts of witches' trials and confessions to create voices for three imaginary characters: Alice, Margery, and Jinnet—a farm hand, a housewife, and an elderly 'cunningwoman'.

Two of the characters are brought to tragedy when they are accused of witchcraft by the third. The story explores the historical debate about the existence of witches, balancing the women's voices with the coldly rational voice of the Skeptick and the imagined voice of the devil himself.

Directed by Rob Ketteridge, the play features performances by Clare Corbett as Alice, Siobhan Redmond as Margery, Freda Dowie as Jinnet, and Jon Glover as The Skeptick.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.