Our London Premiere 30.10.19

When I wrote WITCH all the way back in 2016, I never, for one moment, imagined it would ever be performed in London. It was written for one summer season in Boscastle, at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, where it premiered in July 2016. However, its popularity snowballed and it wasn't long before it had evolved into its own entity. It has never looked back and has never really lost momentum.

This performance was part of the Hillingdon Libraries Culture Bite festival. They have a different theme for each month and October's was History. As well as WITCH, I was also giving a talk on Tudor superstitions at the library just across from the incredible venue we had for our London premiere.

This is the Great Barn at Manor Farm in Ruislip. It is a 13th century tithe barn and I think you will agree that it is the most perfect location for WITCH.

One thing I really struggle with, the longer WITCH goes on, is emotion. It's a hugely emotive piece anyway, but as we approached the 75th performance, it kept hitting me. After this particular performance, it took me a good few minutes to regain a bit of equilibrium.

The audience was, as they always are, extremely engaged and we received some lovely comments. My favourite was from Lesley Manning, director of, among many other things, the brilliant Ghostwatch, which terrified us all back in 1992. She came up to me afterwards and said that the show was "a tour de force." I shall remember that for a long time.

The Hillingdon team were all fantastic - lovely, enthusiastic people to whom we were all very grateful for their help. Special thanks must go to Lara Marshall, the events manager, who chose the venues and accompanied us at every event. We couldn't have asked for a better experience for our London premiere!

My one regret? That I didn't take more photos!