Vinegar Tom (play) - Background Information

Background Information

'Vinegar Tom' was written by British playwright Caryl Churchill in 1976. Churchill collaborated with the feminist theatre company 'Monstrous Regiment' during the writing process, while completing work with another company 'Joint Stock'. Churchill and members from 'Monstrous Regiment' had met at a pro-choice protest march in the 1970s and quickly discovered that they were mutually interested in putting on a production about the social hardship of women in 17th century England and how marginalised women of this period, would often be branded as 'witches'. Churchill and 'Monstrous Regiment' saw this moment in history as a useful vehicle, and parallel, for highlighting contemporary (late 20th century) attitudes towards women and so interspersed various scenes in the play with contemporary songs, to be sung in modern dress. The group worked closely for several months on the development of Vinegar Tom. On October 12, 1976, Vinegar Tom was presented for the first time at the Humberside Theatre, Hull, England. The original cast included:

• Joan: Mary McCusker
• Susan: Sue Todd
• Alice: Gillian Hanna
• Goody: Helen Glavin
• Betty: Josefina Cupido
• Margery: Linda Broughton
• Ellen "cunning woman": Chris Bowler
• Jack: Ian Blower
• Man, Doctor, Bellringer, Packer: Roger Allam
• Kramer and Sprenger: Chris Bowler, Mary McCusker

The opening of the play shows a woman (Alice. The audience do not know her name yet), who is in her early 20s and a character named, simply, Man. Rather than individualising the character 'Man' by giving him a name, Churchill uses a short-hand, story-telling technique, as used by Brecht, in order to show a 'type' or 'archetype', to the audience. By 'distancing' the character in this way, the audience is more likely to think about the situation/issue (a man using a woman for sex/the issue of sin and punishment/withcraft) rather than become over-absorbed in who the characters are.