S A I N T S and the Moral Panic of Witch Trials with Emily Tomlins | La Mama Theatre

Set in an imagined 1653 England on the brink of upheaval, S A I N T S traces friendship, belief, and survival in a world gripped by witch trials, unrest, and political extremism. The story follows Anna Trapnel and her friends as they flee persecution after being accused of witchcraft by the regime they once helped install, navigating a landscape of spies, moral panic, and competing versions of truth. We spoke with co-director and performer Emily Tomlins, about history’s recurring patterns, the push and pull of belief and power, and what it means to perform this at La Mama’s historic Courthouse stage, in a production by Elbow Room’s Marcel Dorney and Tomlins, with Dorney as co-director and writer.

When asked what drew her to performing and co-directing S A I N T S, and why this 1654 England is urgent now, Tomlins points to a long-standing fascination with belief, faith, and moments of cultural rupture. "As a company we have been fascinated by belief and faith for a long time. Between 2011 and 2013, we created a Trilogy around the religious impulse in humans," she says. "Marcel and I are deeply intrigued by this past where humanity and culture is on the precipice of something new. The decisions that ordinary people make in an instant might completely alter the direction of history. This is terrifying, exhilarating and incredibly theatrical all at the same time. This is what 1654 in England was like, and now in 2026, our culture feels similar."
 
In balancing her dual roles as co-director and performer, Tomlins describes the tension between historical specificity and theatrical invention as the central challenge and the creative engine of S A I N T S. "There are certain aspects which are specifically historical. The broader political and cultural events of this show DID happen. Anna Trapnel was a real person who documented her adventures and visions," she explains. "Some of that appears in full, but the beauty of this period is that there is a lot we don't know specifically - so there is room to move and play. We can picture ourselves into this time, and we can draw parallels."

"There was great chaos then, and there had to be a lot of people asking themselves, "what can I do to be better, to make things better?" And there are others who didn't even have that privilege. Who would simply be asking "how do I stay alive and protect those I love?" As a director, it is easier to give this space to explore and to take license. Sometimes, as an actor, I have to find the grace to allow myself to be ok with the gaps and the imaginative world that can exist in those gaps."

Tomlins plays Elizabeth who has more than meets the eye, who has been a fun character to get into during rehearsal, though not without her baggage. "Elizabeth is negotiating the political game hard, even though as a woman she is unable to be in true positions of forward facing power. She isn't what I would describe as a good person in any way. She holds beliefs, and uses strategies, that I would never consider. As a competent and intelligent woman trying to participate in a man's world, her physicality and her voice are a super interesting to unpack," Tomlins tells me. "She's never going to persuade me to think the way she does, not in a million years, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't fun to inhabit her. It does provide a unique perspective on the action of the work, but I also predict that there will be some shaking off to do after each night."

While the show deals with moral panic, belief, and power, there is little in it that is truly shocking, precisely because so much of it remain uncomfortably familiar. "This is the point of the play. We see history repeating itself over and over. We see people motivated by profit and greed, we see people motivated by religion and exclusion, and we see those who cop the brunt of all those things. And we see the signs apparent at the time, and how those warnings are ignored, again, in the name of a ‘larger’ project," she says. "I'd love to imagine that humanity has changed considerably since 1654, but I feel the biggest change has been how quickly we can influence, and be influenced, through the ways in which we communicate now."
 
S A I N T S will be one of the first productions to be held at La Mama Theatre after its shutdown for 2025. The Courthouse is not just a venue choice for Tomlins, but an extension of the work itself. "I have performed at the Courthouse many occasions, but this is the first we have done this as a company. La Mama has deep significance for Elbow Room. Marcel and I grew up in Brisbane, studying theatre at University, and studying La Mama and the playwrights and creators who came out of there, from afar," Tomlins recalls.

"We really wanted to be in the Courthouse because S A I N T S centres on Anna standing trial as a witch. To be in that building, with all its complicated history, built on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri People, creates a rich complexity for us to highlight, and for the audience to feel in real time. The script has been written with this place in mind. We couldn't be prouder to be collaborating with La Mama and leading the charge back in the Courthouse."

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: La Mama Theatre, 349 Drummond St, Carlton
Season: until 27 Feb | Wed - Sat 7:30pm, Sun 4pm
Duration: 130 minutes including interval
Tickets: $35 Full | $25 Conc
Bookings: La Mama Theatre

Image credit: Darren Gill