"Bell, Book and Candle" is an all-Black reimagining of John Van Druten's classic romantic comedy, moved from 1950s Manhattan to 1950s Durham, North Carolina — the heart of Black Wall Street and the historic Hayti district. Where the original imagined witches hiding in plain sight among New York sophisticates, this production showcases a family of rootworkers living out their colorful lives in the historic Durham community.
At the center of our story is Christine, a gifted young rootworker who inherited her power, along with an ancestral curse that comes with it. If she, or her family, ever utters the words "I love you", they risk losing their powers and dying soon after.
We held a staged reading with our full cast in March of 2026, and we're now developing the show into a complete production at the Hayti Heritage Center, with two weekends of performances in October 2026. The production is built by local Black actors, designers, creatives, and technicians creating the world of mid-century Black Durham on stage — its music, its style, its humor, and its spirit.
This production is more than just a color swap. We've reworked the material in a way that gives new life and homage to an American classic. This show is a chance for audiences to encounter Black history and spiritual modalities like Hoodoo and rootwork as living traditions carried by real communities, not caricature.
Funds raised will go directly toward making the production possible: licensing, artist compensation, set and costume design, technical production, marketing, and community engagement.
Our goal is simple — a show that could only happen in Durham, made by the people who call it home.