Charm and Other Drawing-Room Plays

The Charm and Other Drawing-Room Plays is a collection of eight short plays by Walter Besant (1836-1901) and Walter Pollock (1850-1926), written for amateur performance in drawing rooms, private homes, and other intimate settings.

First published in 1896, these compact dramas were designed for small casts and modest spaces, making them well suited to the popular Victorian tradition of home theatricals. Most draw on eighteenth-century settings, manners, and social situations, combining period atmosphere with lively dialogue and manageable staging.

Both a practical collection of short plays and a glimpse into a once-popular form of private entertainment, The Charm and Other Drawing-Room Plays offers an unusual window into the theatrical and social life of the late Victorian era.