The Night Witch
– Based on a True Story –
In a War of Steel, the Heart Bears No Shield
1941, Moscow. The German army advances with brutal precision, having shattered the alliance between Hitler and Stalin. As the Soviet Union reels from betrayal and invasion, desperation mounts—and from the smoke and steel, a radical idea takes flight.
The Night Witch is a soaring new musical inspired by the haunting true story of the Soviet Union’s legendary all-female flying corps during World War II. At its heart lies Major Marina Raskova—opera singer, national hero, and close confidante of Stalin—who dares to defy a brutal regime and form an unprecedented brigade of women pilots to fight for the Motherland.
Assigned to shadow her mission is the disgraced fighter ace Alexi Volkov, a broken man numbed by war and drink, tasked not with aiding her success but quietly ensuring her failure. What begins as suspicion gives way to a fragile love, forged in the fire of aerial combat and tested by the icy grip of ideology. With the German army advancing and Stalin’s shadow ever-present, the pair must navigate duty, desire, and the brutal price of defiance. The Night Witch is a powerful tale of courage, sacrifice, and the brief, brilliant light that can blaze even in the darkest of nights.
Joseph Stalin
Supreme leader of the Soviet Union. Architect of fear. And now—betrayed. When Hitler shatters the fragile Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and the German war machine drives relentlessly toward Moscow, Stalin’s iron grip begins to tremble beneath the surface. Fury at the broken treaty boils into quiet desperation, and the unthinkable becomes possible. Faced with annihilation, he greenlights a bold experiment: an all-female night bombing regiment. He calls it a patriotic gesture. In truth, it is a gamble—one born of fear, rage, and dwindling options.
In The Night Witch, Stalin is no longer just a distant figure in portraits and speeches. He is real. Unforgiving. Haunted by paranoia and the crumbling illusion of control. To Marina, he is protector and executioner. To Alexi, the silent judge of past failures. And to the audience, he stands as the monstrous paradox of the era—terrified of losing power, yet willing to burn the world to keep it.
Air Major Alexi Volkov
Once a celebrated fighter ace, now a ghost of his former self—grounded by drink, disgrace, and the shifting tides of war. Assigned to shadow Marina’s brigade under the guise of support, Alexi is a man with orders to watch, report, and quietly sabotage if necessary.
But what he doesn’t expect is to find something worth believing in again. As the night skies ignite with fire and fury, Alexi must choose between survival and sacrifice, obedience and redemption. In The Night Witch, he is both witness and warrior, a reluctant hero caught in the gravitational pull of love, legacy, and the brutal truth of war.
Major Marina Raskova
A national hero, a trained opera singer, and the unlikely architect of the Soviet Union’s first all-female flying brigade. Driven, brilliant, and fiercely loyal to the Motherland, Marina walks a razor’s edge between propaganda puppet and genuine revolutionary.
But behind her steel-eyed resolve lies a woman haunted by impossible choices—torn between her soaring devotion to Russia and the quiet, forbidden love that grows with the troubled pilot sent to watch her fail. In The Night Witch, Marina leads with fire, sings with sorrow, and dares to believe in something greater—right up to her final flight into legend.
- Music Demos -
Coming soon
Credit
Music and script written by Eli Silverton, 2024.
Status
Script 20% complete · Music 10% written
Current Opportunities
The Night Witch is currently in the early conceptual development phase. While we do not have formal fundraising targets at this time, we aim to present a fully developed show outline by late 2025.
If you are passionate about supporting new musical theatre projects and would like to contribute to our creative journey, we gratefully welcome one-off donations through Buy Me a Coffee. Your support helps us take vital steps toward bringing The Night Witch from concept to stage.
