Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre has long been a place where Canadian stories take shape — and its newly announced 2026–27 season celebrates that legacy while looking firmly toward the future.
Marking 55 years of championing Canadian playwrights, the upcoming season promises a mix of world premieres, inventive new collaborations, and the return of a fan-favourite production that first made waves on the Tarragon stage.
For Artistic Director Mike Payette, the milestone season is as much about continuing Tarragon’s mission as celebrating its history. The theatre has spent decades serving as a creative incubator where playwrights can develop ambitious work that often goes on to stages across Canada and beyond.
The season begins this fall with Prophetess, a world premiere from playwright Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) running September 29 – October 25, 2026. Inspired by Shakespeare’s history plays, the story centres on a university English department chair whose surreal nightmare of spiders begins to blur into reality. As language and power collide, the play explores how the words we use to define ourselves can ultimately shape our future. Directed by Payette, the production features a strong cast including Karen Robinson, Christine Horne, and Rick Roberts.
In the Extraspace, audiences will see the first full run of MONKS (October 20 – November 8, 2026), a Fringe Festival favourite that has already built a reputation for chaotic fun. Created and performed by Veronica Hortigüela and Annie Luján, the show blends physical comedy, audience interaction, and gleeful absurdity into what the creators describe as an “unhinged” theatrical experience.
Later in the fall, Tarragon presents the English-language premiere of The Night Logan Woke Up (November 17 – December 13, 2026), a co-production with Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland and the Resource Centre for the Arts Theatre. Adapted by Robert Chafe from Michel Marc Bouchard’s acclaimed French-language play, the story follows an embalmer who returns to her small hometown for her mother’s funeral — only to uncover long-buried family secrets among her three brothers. The production arrives in Toronto following its debut in Newfoundland.
The new year brings Call Me By My Cousin’s Name (February 2 – February 28, 2027), a collaboration between Tarragon Theatre and Outside the March. Written by Anahita Dehbonehie, the immersive production explores identity, cultural expectations, and relationships through the story of a couple whose marriage is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious relative.
Another anticipated highlight arrives in the spring with The Shoplifters (March 2 – March 28, 2027) by celebrated Canadian playwright Morris Panych. This sharp dark comedy examines morality and class through the story of a seasoned shoplifter and her reluctant accomplice who are caught in the act by security guards with their own perspectives on justice.
The season closes with the return of Kat Sandler’s YAGA (May 11 – June 6, 2027), a darkly comic thriller inspired by the folklore figure Baba Yaga. First premiering at Tarragon in 2019, the play quickly developed a devoted following for its blend of supernatural mystery and wicked humour. This new production arrives as the story is also being adapted into a television series.
With world premieres, daring comedies, and myth-infused thrillers, Tarragon’s anniversary season reflects what the theatre has always done best: giving Canadian artists the space to experiment, challenge audiences, and tell stories that resonate far beyond Toronto.
More information about the 2026–27 season, including subscription packages and ticket details, can be found at 👉 https://tarragontheatre.com.
Leave a Reply