A new play is to tell the story of the mysterious Maggie Wall witch monument in Perthshire.
The monument, near Dunning, is a collection of stones about 20ft high, bearing the words: “Maggie Wall burnt here 1657 as a witch.”
But through the years, no public records have ever been found to suggest Maggie Wall ever existed.
Historians now believe that the grave acts as a memorial in honour of all the women accused and executed for witchcraft.
The new play, which will premiere at Pitlochry Festival Theatre‘s new Studio, explores the vulnerability of women and injustices suffered by them in a “patriarchal and closed community”.
Written by Martin McCormick, the play will star Blythe Jandoo – who is currently appearing in the Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s production of Sunshine on Leith.
Martin said: “Maggie Wall is not far from where I live and is genuinely an eerie place to visit.
“The more I discovered about the site, the grislier the history of the monument’s significance became.
“I’m always drawn to stories that uncover dark secrets, particularly about the place you live, and the more I researched the Maggie Wall the more unsettling the mythology around the monument was – with specific regard to how it was connected, and perhaps strangely responsible, to other acts of violence on women.
Play aims to find a ‘voice for Maggie’
“I have tried to find the voice for Maggie in this piece and to allow her to have her say.
“This felt powerful and important given the enormous parallels her story has with the continuing acts of violence on women by an abusive, patriarchal establishment in our society.”
The show runs from September 9 to 29.
Conversation