Telos Ensemble Will Debut CASTLES in Stockholm

New-York-based theatre company Telos Ensemble presents their Stockholm play debut with the relationship-drama Castles, running from 26-27th February 2025 @ 7:30pm at PIK Vasastan, Hagagatan 48, 112 47 Stockholm with a press night on the 26th February.

A twisting and brutally honest descent into the inner workings of a romantic relationship, Castles is an original drama written and directed by Dan Blick and starring Tora Hallström and Skyler Adams. The play focuses on the relationship of Jonny and Rain, a couple navigating the difficulties of intimacy in today's world.

Inspired by Scenes from a Marriage and Lungs, Castles blends conventional relationship dynamics with modern themes and societal developments challenging these foundations.

The play follows Jonny (Skyler Adams) and Rain (Tora Hallström) as they embark on their romantic journey, watching them navigate their insecurities, past traumas and attempts to understand one another. Castles aims to illustrate the manner in which romantic relationships deeply affect and inform our behaviour, whilst exploring the nuances of vulnerability, compatibility and the possibility for true intimacy.

Telos Ensemble's previous work includes their debut Telos which sold out 13 times at New York City's Chain Theatre in 2024, with their follow up Lake George also selling out on its run, and Black Lake an original film starring Tora Hallström set for release in late 2026. Castles made its London debut in October 2025, for a run of three sold-out performances at the Drayton Arms Theatre.

Dan Blick, the writer of Castles and co-founder of Telos Ensemble, said: "At Telos Ensemble we've been planning on bringing a production to Stockholm for some time now and I'm incredibly grateful that it gets to be this particular piece! For me "Castles" is a microcosm of many of the issues we face today as a society, namely our inability to truly connect with our fellow humans. Once we stop communicating, we often accept that nothing good will come from a situation, which is something I wanted to explore within 'Castles' through the context of a romantic relationship. For me, love and connection are at the heart of the human experience, yet we tend to find these scenarios invariably complex."

Tora Hallström, playing Rain, said: "Since moving back to Sweden, I've been struck by how deeply culture and art are valued here - not just as entertainment, but as something essential to our society. It means a great deal to me to take this first step into Stockholm's vibrant theater community by bringing what we've learned in New York back home. The way Telos works - rooted in our training at the William Esper Studio - feels alive and honest, like watching people simply live. That kind of theater feels like magic to me, and it's why I fell in love with it in the first place. I couldn't be happier to be doing this with Dan and Mitchell, and to be working on Dan's brilliant, funny, and deeply moving play."

Mitchell Pope, the producer of Castles and co-founder of Telos Ensemble said: "Relationships, at their core, are two distinct experiences - two unique perspectives, each rich with history and emotion. In this production, we have two Meisner-trained actors speaking the same artistic language, yet each brings their own voice and depth of feeling to their respected characters, creating a dynamic and raw portrayal of Jonny and Rain's relationship. As Telos grows as a company, I couldn't be more grateful to share our work around the globe. I'm beyond excited to showcase our work in Stockholm, a place that has profoundly inspired me as an artist."

Skyler Adams, playing Jonny, said: "I think everyone is hungry for the real stuff - and this is the real stuff: the relationship in the play, the acting, the people we're working with. To be collaborating with my friends Dan and Mitchell at Telos, and with my wife as my scene partner, are all scenarios I would choose over and over again. We all trained at the same school, so there's a shared understanding of why we do this and how we do this. There's a deep level of admiration and respect between us, and I hope you feel that. What you'll see in Castles is an unafraid, bare look behind the curtain of a relationship - the charm, the fun, and the inevitable misses."

Castles is a play about individual self-discovery through the lens of a romantic relationship. The play begins with Jonny and Rain as they embark on their romantic journey, following them as they navigate their insecurities, past traumas and attempts to understand one another. Castles aims to illustrate the manner in which romantic relationships deeply affect and inform our behaviour, whilst exploring the nuances of vulnerability, compatibility and the possibility for true intimacy. When Rain and Jonny make a pact of commitment to one another, they naturally open themselves to the possibility of heartbreak. Their inability to accept one another for who they truly are - warts and all - leads to inevitable conflict and resentments that test their capacity to give and receive love, or rather their individual understandings of what 'love' is and how it should manifest. In a world in which connection is available to us through the mere click of a button, jealousy within relationships is more present than ever.

Dan Blick writes and directs. Dan is a British writer, director and actor; Castles is his fourth stage play. Dan is a co-founder of Telos Ensemble and a graduate of Cambridge University and the William Esper Studio in New York, where he trained under Suzanne Esper. He is the writer of the plays Lake George, Telos and Akrasia, which premiered and returned Off-Broadway in New York for multiple separate runs. His debut feature film as a director and writer, Black Lake, is set to be released in 2026, produced by Telos Ensemble. Dan holds a BA (Hons) in Theology and Religious Studies from St John's College, Cambridge University and was awarded the Sheikh Zayed Prize for distinction in Islamic Studies during his time at Cambridge.

Tora Hallström plays Rain. Tora Hallström is a Swedish-American actor and screenwriter based in Stockholm. She trained at the William Esper Studio in New York under Barbara Marchant. She made her acting debut in Hilma, playing the title role, and later appeared in The Darkness as Elena. She also played Alana in the feature film Black Lake, directed by Dan Blick and set for release this year. Tora studied Economics and Screenwriting at Princeton University, where she won two awards for Best Screenplay. She is currently developing a television series inspired by her time working in finance in her early 20s.

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