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Essex, 1643. In the quiet town of Manningtree, most of the men have gone to fight in the Civil War. With food running out and boredom setting in, seventeen-year-old Rebecca West longs for something, anything to happen.
When a tragic incident involving a local boy coincides with the arrival of the mysterious Matthew Hopkins, the town is plunged into discord. As suspicion and fear take root, Rebecca finds her own girlhood weaponised against her – and is forced to make a devastating choice.
The Manningtree Witches is a thrilling and fierce exploration of fear, control and what happens when women's voices are silenced. A. K. Blakemore's novel was a Sunday Times Book of the Year, winner of the Desmond Elliot Prize and shortlisted for the Costa Debut and Ondaatje Prizes. This stage adaptation by Ava Pickett was first performed at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, in 2026, produced in association with Frantic Assembly, supported by Eleanor Lloyd Productions and directed by Natasha Rickman.
"A refreshing, ribald rampage through sex, Puritanism and the hypocrisy of men... an engagingly spiky adaptation, heightening the tearaway, irreverent love of language... superb and uncompromising"-The Times
"Funny, profane and bolshie... a whiplash of a play"-Guardian
"Thrillingly fresh and filthy... Ava Pickett is the playwright of the moment"-Telegraph
"A thrilling historical drama... deeply moving and gutsy... a fiercely modern exploration of fear, control, misogyny and what happens when women's voices are silenced... Pickett's fluid and earthy dialogue brings Manningtree of 1643 to life... It's not for the faint-hearted, but it makes for riveting theatre"-WhatsOnStage
"A fierce retelling of the Essex witch trials... drags history into the present... leaves little doubt that Ava Pickett is one of theatre's brightest young talents... This might be a story from history, but Pickett's skill lies in making everything feel blisteringly current"-The Stage
"An absolute standout piece of theatre. Creepy, compelling and deeply absorbing"-Theatre & Tonic"
A. K. Blakemore is a poet and novelist from London. Her first novel, The Manningtree Witches, won the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize for Best First Novel and was shortlisted for the Costa and RSL Ondaatje Prizes.
Ava Pickett is a writer for theatre, film and television.
Her plays include: Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy (Stratford East, 2026); an adaptation of A. K. Blakemore's The Manningtree Witches (Mercury Theatre Colchester & Frantic Assembly, 2026); an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma (Rose Theatre, Kingston, 2025); and 1536 (Almeida Theatre, London, 2025; Ambassadors Theatre, West End, 2026).
She was named Most Promising Playwright at both the 2025 London Standard Theatre Awards and the 2026 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for her play 1536, which also won the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.Her work for television includes co-writer on The Great (Hulu/Channel 4), Brassic (Sky) and Ten Pound Poms (BBC One).