PlayTalk : The Enchantment

The next meeting of the Tower’s play discussion group is on Tuesday 23 January at 7.15pm at the theatre.
(Postponed from last November).

We will be discussing The Enchantment by Victoria Benedictsson in a version by Clare Bayley. 

‘One sunny day in Paris, Gustave Alland, famous artist and philanderer, visits Louise Strandberg – convalescing in her brother’s studio – and casts her effortlessly under his spell. In a vain attempt to escape, she exiles herself to her provincial hometown in Sweden. But a letter propels her back to Paris and into his arms. For a brief moment, ecstasy is hers…’ 

Victoria Benedictsson was a groundbreaking Swedish novelist and playwright in the late 19th Century. She is, together with August Strindberg, regarded as one of the greatest proponents of Swedish realist writing, and was the inspiration for Strindberg’s Miss Julie.  

Warning : the play deals with issues of suicide

New and used copies, or Kindle versions, are available on Amazon

All members and friends are welcome – just turn up!  


PlayTalk is co-ordinated by Peta Barker and Katie Smith and is run a bit like a book club, with participants reading a pre-selected play script and coming together to exchange their thoughts about it.

We’d like to include in our discussions a pretty wide range of work, with a particular emphasis on the following: 

  • Exploring contemporary work 
  • Rediscovering classics 
  • Catching up on plays we’ve missed 
  • Uncovering hidden gems 
  • Seeking out plays that help promote cultural diversity in our programming 
  • Familiarising ourselves with the work of local authors 

We want to stress that we plan to approach the plays primarily as theatre rather than literature. We are especially keen that the group should include technicians, designers, stage managers, the marketing team and all the other creative people needed to bring plays to an audience, in addition to actors, directors and writers. 

Participants will need to find their own copy of each play but we are also exploring other ways of providing scripts – so if anyone has access to large numbers of scripts we’d love to hear from you! 

The meetings normally take place bi-monthly, and details are announced in Noises Off and here on the web site. All Tower Members and Friends are welcome – just turn up!
If you have any queries or would like more information, please contact Peta Barker

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