“A surgically precise vivisection of historical (and current)
male fragility in the service of a savage patriarchy.”
– RVA Magazine
When Grace speaks up to challenge the religious elite, she is “witchducked”—tied and thrown in the river.
WitchDuck is an appalling comedy about the absurd lengths men go to control women. Inspired by the true story of Grace Sherwood—the last woman convicted of witchcraft in Virginia—the play is set in 1706, when women are rewarded for keeping their mouths shut and their heads buried in their bonnets.
January 2023: Playwright Eva DeVirgilis was named a Cadence Pipeline New Works Playwriting Fellow and mentored by Pulitzer and Tony Award–winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire.
May 2024: A week-long developmental residency supported by Cadence culminated in two NYC table readings at The Drama League Theatre Lab.
June & October 2025: Development continued with Firehouse Theatre with a public reading in June and a two-week workshop in October. All performances sold-out.
May 2026: WitchDuck’s entirely sold-out world premiere ran May 8- 24 in Richmond, VA, co-produced by Firehouse Theatre & Cadence and directed by Rebecca Wahls. The production received glowing reviews and was extended due to overwhelming audience demand.
If she floats, she’s a witch!
If she drowns? Whoopsie-daisy, she’s pure.
But when one woman is cast down, others rise with her.
Rebecca Wahls, Director
Eva DeVirgilis, Playwright/ The role of Barry Mather
eva@evadevirgilis.com
or rebeccawahls@gmail.com
WitchDuck digital press kit HERE
Follow WitchDuck on Instagram @W1tchduck
For inquires about the play contact:
"cathartic, infuriating, gut-busting, and
gut-wrenching. "
– RVA Magazine
“ ...picture a Monty Python sketch co-written by Gloria Steinem."
– American Theatre Magazine
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“Ferociously comic and persistently wacky”
– Style Weekly
“I'm offended.”