About the Play:

The Devils is a melodrama by John Whiting, based on Aldous Huxley's sumptuous documentary-novel The Devils of Loudun. A hard-living priest is accused by a nun of possessing her with erotic visions, leading the priest to personal revelations as he is tortured and executed in 17th century France. The Devils was staged with great success by by Sir Peter Hall and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

The Devils is a profound commentary on religious hysteria, political persecution and the corrupt marriage of church and state. In 17th century France, Father Urbain Grandier is a young, educated, charming priest. People are drawn from around the country to the small city of Loudun in France to hear him speak. His reputation leads to him being offered the position of head priest at St Ursula's Convent, which he turns down. The convent's prioress takes umbrage to this, so she avenges herself by claiming possession by devils whom were set upon her by Grandier. The hysteria becomes widespread giving Grandier's enemies the opportunity to make an example of him by putting him to trial for consorting with the Devil.Based on actual events in the 17th-century town of Loudun, The Devils forcefully depicts a factional and dangerous society overcome by hysteria.

The Devils was first performed in 1961 by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in London and then presented on Broadway in 1965. The play is regularly performed in college theatre productions as a showcase of student talent.

Cast: 6 female, 17 male and extras

What people say:

"A stunning play, one of the finest of our age. A richness of imagination and perception hard to match in our time." — New York Times

"John Whiting's The Devils skillfully transforms Aldous Huxley's The Devils of Loudon, a narrative chocked with explication, into an excellent drama." — The Harvard Crimson

About the Playwright:

John Whiting (1917-1963) was an English dramatist. He wrote a number of plays in the 1950s and was best known for The Devils, adapted from Aldous Huxley's novel for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).