Theatre Smith-Gilmour has introduced the English-language world premiere of Pu Songling: Unusual Tales. The difference of Songling’s tales of the supernatural and strange emphasizes the darkly weird and tragic nature of the tales, and what they inform us about human nature.
The play will probably be produced by a Dora award-winning staff, and reveals happen at Crow’s Theatre from January 13 to February 1, 2026.
The unique Chinese language tales have been tailored by a staff that features Michele Smith, John Ng, Diana Tso, Steven Hao, Dean Gilmour, and Madelaine Hodges, with particular due to Michael Man, Lindsay Wu, Rosie Simon, and Jeff Yung.
Pu Songling
“Pu Songling takes us elsewhere that you possibly can say is horrifying, however it’s additionally thrilling,” says John Ng, actor in Pu Songling: Unusual Tales.
Pu Songling (蒲松齡, 1640 – 1715) was a author who lived through the Qing Dynasty. He’s greatest often called the writer of Liaozhai zhiyi, identified in English as Unusual Tales from a Chinese language Studio. In a time when reasonable fiction was the style, Pu wrote the huge assortment of some 431 tales of the supernatural and strange. He usually tailored idioms and themes from the Tang and Tune dynasties.
Whereas Pu spent his life largely as an unknown schoolteacher and tutor, he obtained an Imperial honour for his achievement in literature on the age of 71. His work was printed in 1740, and his fame started to develop a half century after his demise. Immediately he’s acknowledged for reviving the artwork of classical quick fiction in China.
The English adaptation weaves collectively a sequence of his tales as supernatural vignettes, many drawn from Chinese language folklore. The unusual blends with tragic and even comedic moments, and have characters that embrace demons and reincarnated souls. Every story reveals one thing about human nature, from our deepest fears to surprising acts of braveness.
“On the coronary heart of our work is shared humanity; it’s nice to see an viewers from all walks of life, and everyone seems to be equally compelled by these tales,” says Dean Gilmour, co-founder of Theatre Smith-Gilmour.
The Manufacturing
Dora-winning Michelle Smith Gilmour directs, with a artistic staff that features Noah Feaver (Lighting Designer), Ting-Huan Christine Urquhart (Set & Costume Designer), and Andrew Greenback (Stage Supervisor).
“The tales invite the viewers to dream and to think about, and that’s what audiences like to do,” says Michele Smith, co-founder of Theatre Smith-Gilmour.
Forged
Dean Gilmour
Creator, director, performer, playwright, and sound designer Dean Gilmour is co-Inventive Director at Theatre Smith-Gilmour. He’s a graduate of the College of Windsor, the place he earned an Honours BFA in Dramatic Arts. After graduating, he went to Paris, France, to check on the Faculty of Jacques Lecoq (by the way, the place he met Michele Smith, and collectively together with her, later co-founded Theatre Smith-Gilmour in 1980). Since its founding, Dean has created, directed, and carried out in 42 Theatre Smith-Gilmour productions. He’s carried out his personal works throughout Canada, and internationally in 11 nations. He’s gained a number of Dora Awards, together with two for greatest director, two for greatest actor, two for greatest manufacturing, and two for greatest new play.
John Ng 伍健琪
A local of Hong Kong, John Ng has an intensive resume as an actor on stage, in addition to in TV and movie. He graduated from the Honours Programme in Directing on the College of Ottawa. His theatrical credit embrace Kuroko (Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre), Antigone (Younger Folks’s Theatre), The Full Gentle Of Day (Electrical Theatre Firm), 9 Dragons (Vertigo/Gateway/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre), and on TV, Kim’s Comfort, The Swan, and the mini sequence Rising Suns. He has additionally appeared within the movies Dancing By means of The Shadow, and Claws of the Purple Dragon.
Diana Tso 曹楓
Chinese language-Canadian theatre artist, playwright, storyteller, and Dora Award-winning actor Diana Tso is a graduate of the College of Toronto in English Literature, and of Ecole Internationale de Théâtre de Jacques Lecoq in France. Alongside together with her work with different firms, together with Trendy Instances Stage Firm’s The Cherry Orchard, Theatre Smith-Gilmour’s Les Misérables and on the 2017 Stratford Competition in Bakkhai and The Komagata Maru Incident, Diana is the inventive director of Purple Snow Collective, an organization whose productions give attention to the empowerment of girls. Her play Carried by the River, revolving round a Canadian lady who returns to China after her mom’s demise to discover adoption, fable, and China’s one-child coverage, premiered in March 2025 at Tarragon Theatre.
Steven Hao 郝邦宇
Toronto-based director, actor, and author Steven Hao was born and grew up in China. His work is modern and boundary breaking, and influenced by his cultural heritage. His stage credit embrace Puck, A Midsummer Evening’s Dream (Canadian Stage); Cockroach, Cockroach (Tarragon Theatre); Bartender/Zeus, Trojan Women & The Outhouse of Atreus (OtM/Manufacturing facility Theatre), and as a director, Extraordinary Days (Shifting Floor Collective), Assistant Director, Heroes of The Fourth Turning (The Howland Firm/Crow’s Theatre), Assistant Director, The Chinese language Girl (Crow’s Theatre/Studio 180 Theatre/fu-GEN Theatre), Director, A Good Bowl of Pho (Toronto Fringe Competition/Kick & Push Competition).
Madelaine Hodges 賀
Award-winning Chinese language-Canadian queer artist Madelaine Hodges is from Scarborough. She’s a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan College. As an actor, she’s identified for The Boys (2019), Merciless Intentions (2024) and Börje (2023) on TV, and on stage her current credit embrace Iris (Says Goodbye)(2025) as Iris, Woking Phoenix (2024) as Iris / Snow, and The Two Noble Kinsmen (2024) as Queen / Emilia’s Lady / Madeline. She can be a choreographer and dance captain, and choreographed Killing Time: A Sport Present Musical (2023).
Reveals
Performances happen from January 13, 2026 to February 1, 2026 at Crows Theatre.
- Discover tickets and present particulars [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. Beforehand, she was a contract author with a specialty in tradition and journey for 3 many years, and a artistic writing teacher for Ontariolearn.
