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For Your (Re)Consideration: The Enchantment


  • Chicago, IL 60625 (map)

One sunny day in Paris, Gustave Alland, famous artist and philanderer, visits Louise Strandberg, who is 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. And for a brief moment, ecstasy is hers.

Victoria Benedictsson's play, written shortly before her suicide in 1888, is about an obsessive, tragic love affair that asks questions about a woman's agency, independence and passion in the balance of a relationship and its aftermath. Inspired by her own life, it is fascinating examination of a woman's capacity for love and yearning for a sense of her own self.

The Enchantment was written by Victoria Benedictsson, adapted by Clare Bayley and is directed by Ensemble Member Holly Robison.

This virtual staged reading will premier at 2 p.m. on May 2 and be available to stream on-demand through May 9. Tickets are available here.

Later Event: June 5
Make/Believe 2021