According to The Bible, King Saul of Israel is on the brink of war with the Philistines and, when seeing their numbers, is a afraid and unsure how to proceed. When he finds no answer from God, he sends his people in search of a witch who can raise the spirits of the dead. Unfortunately, Saul has just recently banished all witches and wizards from Israel. His people know of a witch in Endor who continues to practice her craft in secret. Kind Saul visits the witch in disguise and promises her that she will not be harmed for bring up a spirit. He then asks her to summon the spirit of the prophet Samuel. King Saul is promptly chastised for seeking council from a witch when it is clear that God has forsaken him.
Of his play about the Witch of Endor, Neil Higgins writes: “We believe death to be a transformative experience, be it from one plane of existence to another or from existence into nothingness. But how much can someone be transformed but such an experience and still be the person we knew in life? This play will explore the transformative nature of death as well as what it means to seek closure from a deceased family member with whom one had a complicated relationship in life.”
THE WITCH OF ENDOR by Neil Higgins
Directed by Jeunee Simon
Staged Reading on November 20, 2021 at the EXIT Theatre
Neil is an actor, writer, and director who has been making theatre in San Francisco for over a decade. He has written for the Olympians festival ever year since the second year. He is also on he board and steering committee of Left Coast Theatre, a non-profit LGBTQ+ theatre company.