A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

The Enfield Haunting

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 4m, 3girl(s), 1boy(s)

Paul Unwin

The Hodgsons had no idea what a poltergeist was when, in the summer of 1977, furniture and toys started moving of their own accord. An ordinary, working-class family who lived in a north London council house became the centre of one of the most famous poltergeist events in the world.

The Enfield Haunting

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 4m, 3girl(s), 1boy(s)
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary
The Hodgsons had no idea what a poltergeist was when, in the summer of 1977, furniture and toys started moving of their own accord. An ordinary, working-class family who lived in a north London council house became the centre of one of the most famous poltergeist events in the world. This is the story of one night in the spring of 1978 when events were approaching a climax. Inspired by first-hand accounts of one of the ghost hunters, The Enfield Haunting is the story of what happens when a dedicated single mother tries to protect her three children from something that is incomprehensible, deeply disturbing and hurtling toward a terrifying conclusion.
History
The Enfield Haunting was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, on 14 November 2023, followed by performances at Richmond Theatre from 21 November 2023 and then the Ambassadors Theatre, London, from 2 December 2023.
Keywords
Performing Groups

WRITER – A middle-class voice on a telephone.
OLDER MARGARET – A voice on the telephone.
PEGGY – Late forties. Working class, deep feeling, a lioness under a nervy shell.
REY – Late forties. Working class. Never left home, now lives alone with his cat.
JIMMY – Twelve. Very intense. Bad stutter.
MARGARET – Seventeen. Bursting with pubescent energy.
JANET – Sixteen. Gaunt, bags under her eyes, intense in a haunted girl kind of way.
MAURICE – Mid-sixties. An upper-middle-class man. He is tender and warm. He wears a moustache, bow ties, etc.
THE MAN
THE GIRL
BETTY – Mid-fifties, Maurice’s wife. Dignified in her grief.

The play can be performed by eight actors with WRITER/MAN, JANET/GIRL and BETTY/OLDER MARGARET doubling.

The play can be performed by eight actors with WRITER/MAN, JANET/GIRL and BETTY/OLDER MARGARET doubling.
No interval.

  • Time Period 1970s
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No Intermission, Special Effects
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Gripping” — City A.M.

“This lo-fi horror builds in creepiness.” — The Guardian

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.


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Scripts

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Authors

Paul Unwin

Paul Unwin

Paul Unwin

Theatre credits include: Theory For The Attention Of Mr Einstein (Old Red Lion and Frankfurt); Doolally Days (Leicester Haymarket, Tour, Hampstead New End); This Much Is True – The Killing Of Jean Charles De Menezes, with Sarah Beck (Theatre503); At The Point ...

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