'I should never have let you in. I usually don't let people in.'

Ash is off the rails, going straight from a sweaty night out to the first day of a new job. Her boss Lily is unimpressed. They need to focus on their assignment: cataloguing historic cases of women accused of witchcraft.

After an incident at work, Ash's boyfriend Dom seems keen to look after her at home. But as the women continue their research into ritualistic murders, Lily starts to worry that something is wrong with Ash. Or maybe something is wrong with Dom?

Urgent and scathing, Sting casts a light on the systemic injustice that permeates the institutions sworn to protect us. Sophie Swithinbank's play was first performed at the Young Vic Theatre, London, in 2026, directed by Nancy Medina.



Sophie Swithinbank is an award-winning playwright whose previous work for the stage includes Bacon and Surrender.



'A masterful, destabilising examination of domestic abuse that plays out like if A24 got their hands on an episode of Line of Duty... creepy and magical and disorientating... what Swithinbank does most spectacularly is recreate the atmosphere of bewilderment, mistrust and threat that Ash and others in abusive relationships must feel... it's so rich with ideas, both funny and gripped by fierce rage'



'Sophie Swithinbank's urgent drama shimmers with spark and danger'



'There's real richness, viscerality and compassion in Swithinbank's ideas and writing style'



'Potently compelling... a prickly, slippery little shard of theatrical sorcery delivered with the head rush of a thriller or a true-crime documentary'



'Unsettling... directly engages with how historical misogynistic dynamics manifest in the present day... a script with immense compassion'



'The history of witchcraft collides with modern issues of police brutality, coercive control, and violence against women... a thoughtful and powerful play... beautifully written... a triumph'



'Hard-hitting storytelling... Sophie Swithinbanks' play about female persecution from the age of witch trials till today blends poignant dialogue with a surprising amount of humour... it uses all the tools of theatre incredibly effectively'



'Impressive and unsettling... not just a compelling piece of theatre, but a devastating reflection on the systems that continue to fail women'