This January, Toronto theatre audiences are invited to step into a hauntingly beautiful world of ghosts, spirits, and shadowy human desires as Theatre Smith-Gilmour presents the English-language world premiere of Pu Songling: Strange Tales at Crow’s Theatre.
Running January 13 to February 1, 2026, this ambitious new production brings to life the stories of Pu Songling, the legendary 17th-century Chinese writer whose supernatural tales have captivated readers for centuries. Equal parts eerie, poetic, and deeply human, Strange Tales reimagines classic folklore through a contemporary theatrical lens — and promises to be one of the most visually and emotionally striking productions of the winter theatre season.
Adapted by Michele Smith, John Ng, Diana Tso, Steven Hao, Dean Gilmour, and Madelaine Hodge, and directed by Michele Smith Gilmour, this Dora Award-winning creative team leans fully into the dark, strange, and tragic corners of Pu Songling’s universe. The result is a piece of theatre that blends myth, morality, and mystery into a rich, atmospheric experience.
Rather than presenting a single linear story, Pu Songling: Strange Tales draws from the author’s vast collection of supernatural short stories — filled with fox spirits, ghosts, shape-shifters, and haunted scholars — to create a theatrical journey that explores desire, justice, love, obsession, and the fragile line between the human and the monstrous.
While the tales are steeped in fantasy, their emotional core is unmistakably human. This adaptation places as much emphasis on the inner lives of its characters as it does on the supernatural forces that surround them, making the production both otherworldly and deeply relatable.
The creative team describes the show as an exploration of “the beautifully bizarre,” using striking stagecraft, movement, and design to transport audiences into a dreamlike realm where magic and morality collide. It’s theatre that embraces mystery — not just for spectacle, but as a way to examine the darker impulses and quiet hopes that live inside us all.
For Toronto audiences, this production is also a significant milestone: the first-ever English-language staging of Pu Songling’s work in this form — a true world premiere, developed and produced right here in the city.
For fans of immersive storytelling, mythic worlds, and visually rich theatre, Pu Songling: Strange Tales promises a journey that is unsettling, moving, and unforgettable.
Pu Songling: Strange Tales – Performance Details
What:
Pu Songling: Strange Tales (English-language World Premiere)
Presented by Theatre Smith-Gilmour
Where:
Crow’s Theatre
345 Carlaw Ave, Toronto
When:
January 13 – February 1, 2026
Opening Night: Friday, January 16 at 8:00 PM
Creative Team:
Adapted by: Michele Smith, John Ng, Diana Tso, Steven Hao, Dean Gilmour & Madelaine Hodge
Directed by: Michele Smith Gilmour
Tickets:
Tickets are available through Crow’s Theatre.
👉 Visit www.crowstheatre.com for full schedule, pricing, and seating availability.
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