WitchDuck


WORLD PREMIERE

Cadence and Firehouse Theatre present the world premiere of WitchDuck. Based on the true story of Grace Sherwood, Virginia’s last convicted witch, this darkly comic and subversive new play pulls history to the surface with humor, defiance, and a sharp feminist edge. 

By Eva DeVirgilis
Direction by Rebecca Wahls

May 7–24*, 2026 at The Carol Piersol Stage at Firehouse Theatre

Cast

Grace Sherwood ... Anna Sosa 
Winiford Davis ... Mary E. Hodges*
Barry Mather ... Eva DeVirgilis* 
Elizabeth Hill ... Lily Marcheschi 
Wilmot Redd ... Jacqueline Jones 
Margaret Watking ... Rachel Marrs
Mary Burgess/Gary ... Olive Gallagher 
Luke Hill ... Rachel Garmon-Williams

Margaret/Luke UNDERSTUDY ... Anjali Sharma
Barry/Redd UNDERSTUDY ... Heather Falks
Grace UNDERSTUDY ... Samantha Richardson
Winifred UNDERSTUDY ... Kerrigan Sullivan
Mary/Gary/Elizabeth UNDERSTUDY ... Flynn McCabe

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the labor union representing American Actors and Stage Managers in the theatre.

Reviews

  • "Eva: I cannot tell you how much Anne and I enjoyed your show last night. Its mixture of humor and heartbreak, history and contemporary topicality, high spirits and introspection was truly unique. The quality of the writing really puts this head and shoulders above virtually any new American play I’ve seen in a long while. (We loved the use of in-the-moment interludes—the Stanislavsky bit, the I-64 traffic dig, the revelation of the smoke machine in the cauldron, etc.). And then the performances. All were superb, so much so that I have a hard time imagining any of the characters being played by any other actor. Each made their role(s) very much their own and the text gave each multiple moments to shine. In particular, your comedic gifts — verbally and physically — were delightful and Anna’s ability to be slip back and forth between earnest and sly was most impressive. Finally, two elements of the production — the set design and the choreography of movement among all actors—showed much careful thought and decision-making. It takes a lot of planning to make something on stage seem so free and spontaneous. I think this play should be seen by a lot more people in a lot more places. We don’t know NY theatre people but know people who do. If we can do anything to lift up WitchDuck, let us know!"

    — Senator Tim Kaine

Press

Snapshots

Photos by Jason Collins Photography

Bonus Content

Videos by Kingbird Studios and The Sunroom Video Production Co. 

Promo Video

Theme Song

Sponsors

This production is made possible through the generous support of the following (including an anonymous sponsor):