Cry innocent
Encyclopedia
Cry Innocent is a theatrical performance based on an episode of the Salem witch trials
. The show, which has been running continuously since the mid-1990s, emphasizes interactive theater. The stage is set in 1692. Bridget Bishop
has been accused of witchcraft and the audience sits on the Puritan
jury. They hear the accounts, cross-examine the witnesses and decide the verdict. The actors respond in character to all comments and questions, revealing additional information about the Early Colonial era of American history.
The show takes place at Salem Old Town Hall, but the first scene of the performance, the arrest of Bridget Bishop, is reenacted on the streets of Salem. Backed by academic research, while offering an entertaining way to interact with characters from the past, '"Cry Innocent"' is among the few tourist attractions in Salem, Massachusetts
that strive to accurately present the Salem witch trials. "The script uses original dialogue and testimony, as recorded in court documents of 1692". The show made many TV appearances, including a 2010 episode of What Not to Wear (US TV series).
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
. The show, which has been running continuously since the mid-1990s, emphasizes interactive theater. The stage is set in 1692. Bridget Bishop
Bridget Bishop
Bridget Bishop was the first person executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of 1692....
has been accused of witchcraft and the audience sits on the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
jury. They hear the accounts, cross-examine the witnesses and decide the verdict. The actors respond in character to all comments and questions, revealing additional information about the Early Colonial era of American history.
The show takes place at Salem Old Town Hall, but the first scene of the performance, the arrest of Bridget Bishop, is reenacted on the streets of Salem. Backed by academic research, while offering an entertaining way to interact with characters from the past, '"Cry Innocent"' is among the few tourist attractions in Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
that strive to accurately present the Salem witch trials. "The script uses original dialogue and testimony, as recorded in court documents of 1692". The show made many TV appearances, including a 2010 episode of What Not to Wear (US TV series).