by Charlesie Robison
Wednesday night, I was given the privilege of being able to see Centre Theatre’s newest show Witch before their official opening April 16th, 2026. And I am so happy to say that this show has now squeezed its way into my top five shows I have seen in my three years at Centre College. The show starts off like you are about to see a production of The Crucible, with a woman (played by junior class’s Sophia Shannon) dressed in white and black talking about being ostracized by the well, but then suddenly you are thrown to the wolves as you see a man wearing jingling bells making a deal with the devil. Said Devil is a highlight of the entire performance, with hilarious dialogue that was so authentic I was convinced actress Gigi Lamarre was improvising every line. I recommend this show to every woman who has ever felt like they have been slighted by a man, and every man who has… also… felt like they have been slighted by a man. Truly, this show is just for anyone who has ever been wronged by the male gender, and I feel as though that is a universal experience that everyone can relate too.
Now that the show has ended its run, I am able to talk even more about the brilliance of this show! Jen Silverman is a brilliant playwright who has dedicated their time and effort to creating queer and feminist stories which do not focus entirely on being queer or feminist. Rather, it is simply queer and female characters being able to live out stories which would typically only be attributed to men. We see that with Ryan Jones’ character Cuddy who is depicted as having an attraction to men, however that isn’t where the root of his issues lie. Rather, his struggle comes from his relationship with his father, and his conflicted feelings towards Frank. Winnifred, played by Teresa Curry, and Elizabeth both struggle because of their roles as women in this world, but they are not only women. They are strong characters who have their own motives and desires, and in the end, have differing opinions of what they should do next.
The play ends with the idea of a “do-over”, that this world we live in is so broken and far gone that we need to start from scratch and hope the next generation can do better. But we do not have access to a magic genie devil. Instead, the reality is that we have to lie in the bed that was made by the generations that came before us, and it is our duty to try and make this world better. And that is what Witch forces us to think about. If our world is so ruined that it seems like the only solution is to wipe it all away, then what can we do to change that. How can we make this world a place where people can love freely, dance freely, and choose to practice whatever witchcraft they wish as they place.
Hats off to the cast, crew, and staff of Witch. You all put on an excellent performance, which is sure to go down in Centre Theatre history as one of the greats.