By Sean Teehan, Town CorrespondentA Web-based reality show set to premier this fall will put witchcraft front and center as it focuses on young wiccans in Salem.
Filming for the Click Vision TV show, "The Young Witches of Salem," is scheduled to begin in mid to late August and will feature five young Salem residents who practice Wicca, said Antony van Zyl, a managing partner and producer at the Los Angeles-based Click Vision.
"The show focuses very heavily on people who made the very private choice to follow an eons old religion," van Zyl said in a telephone interview. "The show brings a tremendous amount of interest in the everyday lives of theses individuals."
An effort to dispell negative stereotypes such as evil spells and creepy ceremonies associated with Wicca was a driving force in the show's development, van Zyl said.
"Preconceived notions of Wicca and witchcraft are so dire," van Zyl said, adding that many wiccans suffer from discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere. "[Wicca] has so many elements that are held so dearly with what we call now environmentalists."
"The Young Witches of Salem" will document the everyday lives of the five young wiccans as they navigate one of the city's busiest seasons, Halloween.
"This is a heavy load that can be difficult, obsessive, yet very rewarding," a Click Vision TV statement said. "We will share their lives as they live in the crucible of the Witch City."
With season one in the works, van Zyl said he hopes the show will both entertain and serve as an educational tool for the many who possess little to no knowledge about the wiccan religion."This is a very real religion that is one of the fastest growing worldwide," van Zyl said.
