Anya Basu-Chaudhuri welcomes us to The Bridalia Witches
August really is a busy month. While many eyes turn to Edinburgh, back in London much of the attention is on Camden Fringe. But this year The Hope Theatre is doing its own thing; North Sapph-Fest, a bold new festival celebrating queer women & non-binary voices. You can fid out what’s playing here, while here at ET we’re hoping to publish interviews with a few of this year’s participants, so watch out for these over the next couple of weeks.
What happens when three friends have so much blind devotion that they would gladly jump off a cliff together without checking for a net first? You get The Bridalia Witches, playing at The Hope Theatre as part of this year’s North Sapph festival line-up!
Written by Anya Basu-Chaudhuri and brought to life alongside performers Erin Ennis-Emms and Priya Logan, The Bridalia Witches is a joyful, chaotic, and deeply affectionate look at female and queer friendship. Centring women and lesbian identity in a world where magic takes a backseat to real human connection, this play balances tentative reconnections with ill-equipped, impulsive grand plans.
We sat down with the trio to chat about the music that sparked the script, why Ian McKellen belongs in the Hollywood movie, and the DIY cardboard prop they loved like a child.
If you had to describe the vibe of your show in just one sentence, what would it be?
The vibe of the show is essentially: “If all the characters were asked if they’d jump off a cliff because their friend did, they’d answer yes.”
Onstage, that manifests through their absolute willingness to carry out unprepared and ill-equipped plans. They’re so determined to help their friend that they never take a step back to think about the consequences. Throughout, you see a lot of love, heartfelt moments, and tentative attempts at rekindling lost bonds, and that blind trust drives actions that have real repercussions later on.
Why is 2026 the perfect time for this show to be seen?
It’s quite hard for the world not to feel like a scary place for women and queer people right now. We’re seeing a massive increase in violence towards women, as well as social and legislative discrimination against queer people. So now feels like the perfect time to centre these voices in a way that, hopefully, is joyful and provides a level of escapism.
I purposely never address that there are no men (aside from a nameless cameo guard) within the performance, it’s not written as a big ‘statement’ that men shouldn’t be there, but we are proudly and confidently centring women and lesbians throughout. It feels like the right moment to have that represented on stage.
What was the ‘eureka moment’ that made you realise this story had to be told?
Most of what I write is influenced by the music I’m listening to at the time. Florence and the Machine’s album Dance Fever had come out, and I listened to it on repeat for a month straight. I couldn’t stop thinking about witches!
I became very aware of the resurgence witches have had in popular culture; in music, Wicked, YouTube influencers, and beyond. For me, that album was the eureka moment. We have so many stories that dramatise magical abilities, but I became curious to explore what it would look like to represent witches on stage focused more on their relationships to each other and the world than their powers (though magic still makes an appearance!).
What safe to say Florence and the Machine would definitely be on your show’s soundtrack?
Absolutely. She’s such a powerful songwriter and weaves a bit of magic into everything she makes, which fits our vibe completely. If I had to choose specific tracks: Perfume and Milk and Free.
What is the “secret sauce” that makes your group dynamic work?
We’re all happy to have a bit of a laugh when things go wrong or when the energy is lower, which keeps rehearsals fun. There are a lot of opportunities for playfulness in the text, so working in an environment that feels light-hearted really benefits our onstage dynamic.
What is it about your characters that you most enjoy playing?
Pri: Lily’s fieriness! I’m someone who tries to help people in my life as much as I can, even if I’m not always the best at it. I think Lily is the same, which really helped me bond with her.
Erin: I like how certain she is. She’s very definitive in what she does and doesn’t do, and she’s extremely confident. In a previous version of the play, I portrayed a character who was nervous and anxious, so stepping into someone who is the complete opposite felt really refreshing.
What’s the weirdest or most unconventional prop created for the show?
I made a very DIY well with my girlfriend using a cardboard moving box and paint. She (the well) is not quite suitcase-sized, so she won’t be making it into the final theatre run, but I feel very motherly towards her!
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
I asked this question to the cast and Pri immediately said Ian McKellen. No one quite knows why!
Are there any plans for what comes next after this run?
After this run, I plan to develop the script to tie up some loose ends. I love where we leave the characters; there’s uncertainty around what happens next and whether they stay together, which works well for this iteration. But I’m looking forward to exploring where they go after we leave them. (That’s a bit vague, but I can’t say more without spoiling it!)
Many thanks to Anya, Erin and Priya for their time. The Bridalia Witches will play at The Hope Theatre Friday 14 and Sunday 16 August as part of North Sapph Festival.
