Abigail Williams Gets the Last Word: Powerstories Opens Witch Hunt With Humor, Rage, and a Side of Chocolate

by Avery Anderson

Abigail Williams is tired of being the villain.

Yes, that Abigail Williams—the teenage antagonist immortalized in The Crucible and blamed for the Salem witch trials. But in Witch Hunt, or A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World, opening this weekend at Powerstories Theatre, she’s ready to set the record straight.

The play, by Liz Duffy Adams, is a dark comedy that asks: What if the supposed villain of Salem’s story wasn’t a villain at all—but the heroine? What if she got to tell her own version of what really happened in 1692?

“It asks that question—what happens if Abigail Williams gets the chance to tell her story?” said Clareann Despain, the play’s director and Powerstories’ artistic director. “It’s deeply witty, but it’s also about very serious things—power, patriarchy, and who controls the narrative.”

If that sounds like a heavy history lesson, don’t worry. This is a play that finds the overlap between absurdity and apocalypse, between laughing at the world and realizing, oh no, we’re still living it.

“We’re all kind of ridiculous, right?” Despain said, laughing. “We’re all just fancy monkeys. But even in our absurdity, our endeavors are deadly serious.”

A Witch Hunt for Right Now

Though the play is set in the 17th century, it feels disturbingly current. The plot centers around a makeshift tavern trial where Abigail tries to unravel what happened during the witch panic—and maybe take back some power along the way.

Adams’ subtitle references Wonders of the Invisible World, a real 1693 tract by the notorious Cotton Mather, the reverend who helped fan the flames of Salem hysteria. In his version, the “invisible world” was full of demonic forces and spectral torment. Adams has other ideas.

“For Cotton Mather, it’s all about witches and the devil,” Despain explained. “But for Liz Duffy Adams, the invisible world is the sociopolitical forces behind it all—forces like patriarchy and systemic oppression. And frankly, those forces are scarier than any devil.”

Despain isn’t shy about why this play feels urgent.

“We live in a time of despair,” they said. “But this play lets us laugh at the absurdity of it all—while still facing the stakes. That space where you don’t know whether to laugh or cry? That’s productive. That’s where we have to sit right now.”

No Witches Were Harmed in the Making of This Play

One of the more surprising elements of Witch Hunt is that—spoiler alert—there aren’t any actual witches.

“This play isn’t about the contemporary witch identity per se,” Despain said. “But it is about people who see what others refuse to see. People who say, ‘No, I won’t confess. No, I won’t conform.’ That’s where it resonates with modern witches—and with anyone who’s ever stood their ground against power.”

Power, of course, is central to the story—both onstage and off. Despain describes their rehearsal room as one where “gallows humor” is encouraged and actors are allowed to pause, process, and yes, pass around chocolate when scenes hit too hard.

“It’s hard. It’s frustrating. It’s funny,” Despain said. “We talk about history, about what’s happening now, about how it all connects. And sometimes, we just have to stop and say, ‘What the [expletive] is going on in the world right now?’”

Powerstories Turns 25—And Still Isn’t Playing It Safe

Witch Hunt also kicks off a landmark year for Powerstories, which is celebrating its 25th season of telling stories about women and girls.

While the play isn’t a “true story” in the strictest sense, it fits their mission by reclaiming voices lost to history.

“Our whole season is about uncovering hidden herstories,” Despain said. “Sometimes to get to the truth, we need to tell stories that don’t exactly fit the mold.”

That’s been Powerstories’ approach from the start: bold, nimble, and relentlessly community-driven.

“We’ve lasted 25 years because we’re always asking, ‘What does the community need now?’” Despain said. “We’re not here to be static. We’re here to serve.”

But even as Powerstories looks ahead, it isn’t losing its edge.

“We’re not shying away from hard-hitting stories,” Despain said. “We’re not giving up our particular… let’s say valence—even if that’s unpopular with some people who hold the purse strings for arts funding.”

Their goal for the next 25 years? To keep serving up truth—with a side of wit, grit, and resilience.

“We may be preaching to the choir sometimes,” Despain said. “But what can we do to help the choir sustain the song?”

🎭 IF YOU GO:

What: Witch Hunt, or A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World

Where: Powerstories Theatre, 2105 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

When: Opens July 11

Tickets: powerstories.com