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.

Written in 1904, Warp and Woof contrasts the lives of upper crust London society with the lives of the poor dressmakers who work long hours in a sweatshop to provide those elite with the latest fashions as fast as possible. The play remains incredibly timely and asks important questions about what we require from those who labor to support our lifestyle. The ethics of power, commerce, and labor in a deeply unequal society remains startlingly relevant. 

Warp and Woof was written by Edith Lyttelton and directed by Christina Casano.

This virtual staged reading will premier at 2 p.m. on April 25 and be available to stream on-demand through May 9. Tickets are available here.

The third installment of For Your (Re)Consideration is two one act plays dealing with the subject of wars and the battles families are forced to fight amongst themselves when someone is called to “serve.”

Written in the final years of World War I, Mine Eyes Have Seen is the story of a Black family who have fled the South after the father’s lynching. His wife dies of heartbreak leaving their three children to fend for themselves. The children are now young adults, but Lucy, the youngest, and Dan, the oldest, are reliant on their brother, Chris, to support them. When Chris is drafted, he is forced to wrestle with the idea of serving a country that has not served his family. The play is an examination on the nature of patriotism, citizenship, sacrifice and what those mean for people who have been betrayed by their own country.

Published in 1915, War Brides examines the role of women in supporting war at the home front, and the expectations that they willingly send their husbands and sons to die in wars. It highlights one woman’s determination, after her loss of a husband and brothers to war, to no longer become a tool for war. The play also demands that if women are expected to work and sacrifice for war, they should be given full voice in the decisions to go to war.

Mine Eyes Have Seen was written by Alice Dunbar Nelson and War Brides by Marion Craig Wentworth. Both are directed by Angelisa Gillyard. This is part of Ghostlight Ensemble’s For Your (Re)Consideration series, which explores the works of historically overlooked female playwrights.

This virtual staged reading will premier at 2 p.m. on April 18 and be available to stream on-demand through May 9. Tickets are available here.

Ghostlight Ensemble continues its new reading series, For Your (Re)Consideration, which explores the works of historically overlooked female playwrights, with Distinguished Villa by Kate O'Brien at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 11.

Distinguished Villa, written in 1926, tells the story of Mable Hemworth, a houseproud, lower-middle class wife more concerned with keeping up appearances than responding to her spouse Natty's affections. Natty falls for Frances Llewellyn, a bookish, artistic, neighbor, with ultimately tragic consequences. In Distinguished Villa, we see the seeds of what later became a hallmark of O'Brien's work — groundbreaking depictions of the sexual frustrations of young women, and an understanding of the wide diversity of sexuality and gender expression.

This virtual reading is directed by Chicago-based theatre artist Elizabeth Lovelady. The cast includes: August Forman, Christian Cook, Micah Figueroa, Allison McCorkle, Jordan Ford and Kim Fukawa.

The initial broadcast of Distinguished Villa takes place over Zoom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 11, and a talkback with the director will take place immediately following. A recording of the performance will be available afterward to stream through May 9.

Tickets are pay what you will, with a minimum of $5 per reading. For tickets or more information, visit: http://www.ghostlightensemble.com/for-your-reconsideration

Throughout April, Ghostlight Ensemble will present plays by historically overlooked female playwrights as part of For Your (Re)Consideration. Each Sunday a new reading will take place and be available to stream for at least a week afterward.

The Convent of Pleasure by Margaret Cavendish directed by Andrew Coopman is the first of the series.

Lady Happy has recently inherited a great wealth from her late father, Lord Futune, and though Madame Mediator encourages her to get married, the Lady has other plans. But while Monsieur Take-Pleasure and his man, Dick, along with the other men of the town make plans to woo her, Lady Happy has already opened her own convent: A Convent of Pleasure that avows marriage and men because they do nothing but bring misery to all womenkind. But when a mysterious Princess comes to join the Convent, Lady Happy finds herself falling for her, and their love story begins. Will there be a happy ending for these independent women? Or will men figure out a way to interfere and ruin this Sanctuary?

Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne’s closet-play, The Convent of Pleasure is a 17th Century celebration of women, independence and love, and one of the earliest narratives centered in LGBTQ+ inclusive identity.