Did you hear that? Was it just a twig snapping beneath your foot? Or has Samca found you in Hoia Baicu late at night? Based on the Romanian folktale, Spindle Collective and Riot King’s production of SAMCA tells the story of a pair of sisters who must learn to navigate the world with as much confidence as they navigate the haunted forest. Written by Kathleen Welch and Natalia Bushnik, and directed by Brendan Kinnon, SAMCA is a haunting, breathtaking story of witchcraft and womanhood.

Black Creek Pioneer village has been transformed into Romania’s Hoia Baicu for SAMCA. As the days are growing shorter, the sun has almost fully set as the audience takes their seats for the play to commence. Franco Pang’s lighting design dances amongst the foliage, helping to create the dynamic tension which permeates the play. While the primary action takes place in a more traditional outdoor theatre set-up, eventually we move deeper into the grounds, safely following the players as they lead us to the end of the story. This is immersive theatre at its best; every element of the play thrives in the environment they’ve created, and it feels almost impossible to imagine it in an indoor space.

SAMCA is about two sisters, Prava and Miha, who escaped their abusive father to a convent where they currently live. Prava certainly seems to know more about the world, the pleasures which it can bring, and can even commune with the Zâne (fertility spirits), and Miha is desperate to know it all. However, young Miha unfortunately learns rather quickly how cruel the world can be, and is left to bear the consequences. Crossing through the Hoia Baicu forest to get to the village, Miha becomes more and more convinced that Samca, an evil spirit who targets mothers and young children, is going to find her and leave her for dead like her mother before her. For it is in the forest where the spirit and human realms intertwine, allowing the scary stories we’re told as children to break through into reality.

This chilling story is infused with original compositions by co-author Kathleen Welch. The harmonies sung by the ensemble of Zâne, along with live guitar, banjo and saw playing, the musical soundscape for SAMCA greatly enhances the atmosphere of the production. Beginning with terrifying, guttural, animalistic noises and then into Welch’s powerful score; this is the glue which holds both the ambiance and the ethos of the piece together.

There’s an empowering and liberating sensuality to this production. Prava is free with her sexuality (despite living in a convent), and as Miha is just coming of age during the course of the story, she is likewise discovering her own desires. Because the play takes place primarily in the woods and it deals with these ancient ethereal beings, the free expression of their womanhood in the safety of the forest speaks to a long line of women who had to do the same. The focus on nature, motherhood, and fertility reinforce the sacred position of women, which is directly in contrast to the shame, guilt, and hurt Miha feels from her religious upbringing in the convent.

Playwrights Kathleen Welch and Natalia Bushnik star as Prava and Miha in SAMCA. There is something unique about watching performers give life to their own creation; they know these characters from the inside out because they put all of that hard work into making them from the ground up. The passion and understanding which is clearly evident in Welch and Bushnik’s portrayals of their characters is a testament to the time they’ve spent with these women and their story. They are supported by Andra Zlatescu, Madeline Elliott Kennedy, Jenna Geen, Camila Farah, Sydney Nicholson, Elif Coskun, Beatrice Kwan, and Fae Alexander. This incredibly talented ensemble are the Zâne, and act as a sort of Greek chorus for the play. Zlatescu and Alexander are the musicians formerly mentioned, and the rest of the ensemble joins them as an ethereal choir. All of them expertly execute Skye Rogers’ spookily beautiful choreography, using their bodies as well as the text to tell this story; their entrance in particular will haunt your nightmares!

SAMCA brings our deepest fears and uncertainties to life, but in a way which allows us to talk openly about them and face them head on. Full of music, magic, and malevolent spirits, SAMCA will certainly stick with you long after you’ve left the forest. So, are you brave enough to venture into Hoia Baicu Forest? There are limited dates left, so make sure you snag your ticket before they’ve all been snatched up. For more information and tickets, visit: https://natbushnik0.wixsite.com/spindlecollective/samca

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Cover Photo: The Cast of SAMCA. Photo by Barry McClusky

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