A new rock opera, which had its world premiere last week, explores discussions central to the Church and its history

The opera, which is set in 14th century Italy, is called The Witches Seed and tells the story of three women who are falsely accused of witchcraft.

Through Inquisitor Buelli’s eyes we see his vision of the rampant evil that these women embody as they whip the villagers into orgiastic frenzy. Bishop Bascape sees none of this. To him they are just three ordinary, if conspicuously influential women in the village. Their strength, wisdom and relative wealth make them a threat to the established order of medieval power.

The opera features music by Stewart Copeland of the Police and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. The premiere took place last week in an amazing site-specific quarry (Tones Teatro Natura) in the Piedmont mountains, where the story is set.

The libretto has been written by Jonathan Moore, the writer / director of INIGO, a play about St Ignatius of Loyola, which was read-through by a cast of professional actors at the London Jesuit Centre last year as part of the Ignatian Year celebrations. You can find out more about that here. INIGO has been performed worldwide regularly since its London World Premiere in 2015.

Of The Witches Seed, Jonathan said: “It is an allegorical piece about the discussion going on in the Church today.”

You can find out more about The Witches Seed here. The website has an English language option.