Snow in Midsummer
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“This TENSE, EMOTIONAL and at times EERIE production shows how well a good ghost story can grip an audience.” - John Law, Niagara Falls Review
- In-person event
- English
- Ages 12+
- ≈ 2 hours and 10 minutes · With intermission
An NAC English Theatre presentation of the Shaw Festival production
Dou Yi, a young widow wrongfully executed for murder, has cast a chilling curse on her town: if she is innocent, a summer snowfall and a devastating drought will befall the townspeople. Three years later, a wealthy businesswoman arrives in the parched and locust-plagued town to revive its failing factory. When her daughter encounters a haunting apparition, the townspeople are compelled to confront their buried, harrowing past.
Blending elements of ghost story, murder mystery, and family drama, this adaptation of a 13th-century Yuan Dynasty drama by acclaimed playwright Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig brings an ancient Chinese classic boldly into the present. Snow in Midsummer is a gripping folktale which juxtaposes redemption against revenge and delves into the depths of injustice and trauma to explore the lengths people will go to for love.
Experience the suspense as the Azrieli Studio is transformed into the round, immersing the audience in the story's unexpected twists and turns. This contemporary thriller, which explores both corporate and personal greed, promises to be an utterly spellbinding encounter.
Content Advisory: This edgy and modern adaptation of a Chinese folktale is set against the backdrop of a fictitious and fantastical post-apocalyptic world, where ghosts and guardians of the underworld relentlessly haunt in their search for justice. Like the original (and often rather dark) versions of many other classic folktales from around the world, Snow in Midsummer contains some mature content, poetic representations of violence and death (both described and depicted onstage), young protagonists who overcome perilous situations, and ultimately, the promise of redemption and hope for a better world.
- By Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
- Director Nina Lee Aquino
- Based on the classical Chinese drama The Injustice to Dou E That Moved Heaven and Earth by Guan Hanqing
- Featuring Cosette Derome, Manami Hara, Eponine Lee, Richard Lee, Michael Man, John Ng, Travis Seetoo, Donna Soares, Jonathan Tan, Kelly Wong, Lindsay Wu
- Set designed by Camellia Koo
- Costumes designed by Joanna Yu
- Lighting designed by Michelle Ramsay
- Original music and sound designed by John Gzowski
- Fight Designer Richard Lee
- Stage Manager Jane Vanstone Osborn
- Assistant Stage Manager Sang-Sang Lee
