Did you know that the last woman in Canada to be convicted of witchcraft was from Blyth?

At 16, Maggie Pollock realized that she had the ability to see and hear things that others could not. She claimed to be “possessed with a peculiar occult gift” that she used to help neighbours locate lost or stolen items.

In 1919, Pollock was arrested on her farm and accused of “telling fortunes,” which was illegal under section 365 of the Canadian Criminal Code. 

The case was tried in Goderich court and eventually went to the Supreme Court of Ontario.

Was she a Seer? Sorcerer? Swindler?

The true story awaits at the world premiere of The Trials Of Maggie Pollock.

Ann-Marie Kerr directs this spellbinding story by playwright Beverley Cooper, whose Innocence Lost: A Play about Steven Truscott was a sold-out hit at the Blyth Festival and a finalist for the 2009 Governor Generals Literary Award.

Opening Friday, August 2 at 8:00 PM.

Preview tickets are only $40 (July 31 & August 1).

Youth tickets (under 25) are always $20.

Selected performances included in the Buy-One-Get-One-Free offer.

Visit blythfestival.com.

Illustration: Article from the Wingham Advance Times, Sept. 9, 1930.