700 years ago, Dame Alice Kyteler was the first woman in Ireland to be tried for Heresy. She fled Kilkenny, and her servant Petronella was tried and convicted in her stead, then publicly burned alive on the main street of Kilkenny.
Publicly. Burned. Alive.
This is not their story. But it might be.
In 2025, Asylum Productions (The Big Chapel X, The Local) began work on their contemporary reimagining of the tale of the Kilkenny Witch Trials.
Audiences were treated to a sneak preview of two episodes of The Alice Project; - brief, intimate, one-to-one encounter with Alice in a secret city centre location; and an audience with her arch nemesis - the dreaded Bishop DeLedrede (we’re not kidding – that was his actual name)
See HERE for some images and reviews (link to ‘Story So Far’)
In August 2026 Asylum return to Kilkenny Arts Festival to present all 5 Episodes of this epic production, taking place in multiple locations across the city, in partnership with our good friends and comrades at Barnstorm Theatre Company and a host of local professional and community artists, makers, movers and shakers
This year, we’re starting preparations early.
Episode 4 of the story, directed by Barnstorms Artistic Director and long-time Asylum inmate and collaborator Janice De Bróithe will be produced in partnership with Barnstorm, and presented for a limited run in late February, before returning for an extended run during the Kilkenny Arts Festival in August, along with the 4 other chapters.
Please be aware that actors will need to be available for rehearsals (mostly weekends and evenings) throughout February, and again in late July and early August for daily performances between the 8th and 15th.