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In 1692, a young girl became ill with a mysterious affliction. Her convulsions, rolling eyes and incoherent babbling terrified the residents of the village of Salem, Massachusetts. Other girls soon became ill with the same symptoms. The village physician suggested that witchcraft was the cause of the “fitts”. The diagnosis sparked a Puritan investigation, and the resulting inquisition took 25 lives, filled the prisons with young women and tarnished the village of Salem.
Theatre Glendon, in conjunction with Toronto’s Cheshire Unicorn theatre company, presents One Butterfly, a play by Melissa Major. The production, directed by Aleksandar Saša Lukac, will preview on Sept. 22 at 8pm. It makes its public debut on Sept. 23 and will run to Oct. 2 at 8pm (excluding Sept. 27 & 28) at Theatre Glendon on the Glendon campus, 2275 Bayview Ave. at Lawrence.
The story of One Butterfly focuses on a group of women who embrace life. They manipulate their surroundings and charge the oppressive force field surrounding them. In this multimedia production based on the Salem witch trials, Lukac explores the dark and dreamlike realm of the women of Salem. In a surrealistic stray from the traditional narrative, a series of images and events are superimposed on the play, adding a unique multimedia element to the production.
The play presents a provocative interpretation of one of the darkest times in American history, bringing to the events of the Salem witch trials a sometimes chilling, sometimes playful reality. One Butterfly offers a chance to imagine that freedom can grow from a seed and blossom into something so powerful that no matter what happens, being invincible is possible.
Tickets are $12 ($6 for students). Reservations can be made by calling the Theatre Glendon box office at 416-753-8951. For further information regarding this or other productions held at the theatre, visit the Theatre Glendon Web site.