Writers: K.S. Norris
Directors: K. S. Norris and Davy Tennsion
Belief in witchcraft as a symptom of male hysteria is the major takeaway from K.S. Norris’ new play Deliver Us From Evil performed at the Bridewell Theatre as part of the Camden Fringe Festival 2026. Set in sixteenth-century Essex, this exploration of the Manningtree witch trials and the possibility of hereditary sorcery follows both the accused Elizabeth Clarke and the rise of soon-to-be Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, whose own fears are frequently explained as projections of his mind. Norris’ 60-minute play argues that women were destroyed so men could be heroes.
When her mother is executed as a witch, suspicion falls on her daughter Elizabeth )Anastasia Babich), whose isolation in the community and leg injury single her out among the women. Years later, following an argument with Elizabeth, another local woman falls ill, and Master Stern arrives in the village of Manningtree to question her. There he finds the young Matthew Hopkins (Finton McCluskey) and a group of willing women, all ready to condemn, baying for Elizabeth’s blood.
There are two key questions for this presentation of Deliver Us From Evil: why now and how does this production add to the rather extensive work on communities responding to perceived witchcraft in this period? Arthur Miller’s peerless The Crucible is the obvious reference, and while Norris has more to say about the over-reaction, delusions and fear-induced frenzy of men, the dual narrative doesn’t allow the writer to complete the thought in a one-act format.
But these are women’s stories, so should they be perceived through the lens of a male character? We have already seen musical Coven this year at the Kiln Theatre, while writer of the moment Ava Pickett presented her own critically applauded play on the Manningtree witch trials earlier this year, and her work offers a far more relatable perception of women’s concerns, motivations and relationships than presented in Deliver Us From Evil.
Based on Norris’ PhD research, there is clearly a lot of detail and many possibilities here that could be expanded into a longer, more purposeful piece. Various threads, including Widow Hopkins’ sympathy for the incarcerated Elizabeth, put her in contention with her not yet fanatical son, but the idea peters out before it can be fully explored. Likewise, the role of godliness in this community and its misapplication through the hounding and torture of women encouraged to denounce one another could expand the characterisation, so when Elizabeth asks “what am I compared to righteous men,” there is an opportunity to compare the gendered expectations of these individuals and how they use fear to divide and deride women.
The scene in which Elizabeth is questioned is the strongest, and there are other good ideas here along with lots of potential themes including the childhood stigma of having multiple family members accused of witchcraft, the suspicion of midwifery when something goes wrong and the non-scientific understanding of medical diseases and conditions that look to supernatural explanations. But Norris needs to be sure and be confident what this version of the Manningtree story is adding in a crowded marketplace.
Runs until 6 August 2026
Camden Fringe 2026 runs until 30 August
