What happens when Shakespeare’s royal power struggles move from the battlefield to the university faculty lounge?
Apparently, things get just as ruthless.
Now playing at Tarragon Theatre, Prophetess, the world premiere from acclaimed Canadian playwright Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho), brings together academic politics, supernatural curses and Shakespearean ambition in a darkly funny exploration of power, identity and the words we use to define ourselves.
Directed by Mike Payette, the production opens Tarragon’s 55th anniversary season with a story that sounds wonderfully unpredictable.
At its centre is Margaret, the formidable Chair of an English Department and self-proclaimed Queen of Etymology, played by Karen Robinson, familiar to audiences from Schitt’s Creek and The Porter.
Margaret’s world begins to unravel when she wakes from a nightmare filled with spiders. Before she can settle into the first day of the academic term, one of those eight-legged creatures appears in real life, speaking, growling and delivering a curse that sets off a chaotic chain of events.
What follows is a battle involving professional rivalries, love, ambition and prophecy, where words can become weapons and the struggle for authority starts to resemble a Shakespearean history play.
But beneath the theatrical absurdity lies a surprisingly contemporary question: How much of who we are is determined by the labels we accept, the words others use to describe us, and the stories we tell ourselves?
The production features an accomplished ensemble including Christine Horne, Natasha Mumba and Rick Roberts, alongside Robinson. Interestingly, Ho previously worked with Robinson, Horne and Roberts in Why Not Theatre’s Prince Hamlet, and specifically envisioned Robinson in the central role while developing Prophetess.
The play’s university setting also has personal roots. Ho has spoken about observing the hierarchies and power structures of academia during his graduate studies, finding parallels between departmental politics and the struggles for control that dominate Shakespeare’s history plays.
Early Toronto coverage has drawn attention to the production’s imaginative staging, with dramatic lighting, an adaptable set and theatrical effects helping transform Margaret’s increasingly unstable world.
For audiences who enjoy their theatre a little unconventional, Prophetess promises an intriguing combination of sharp dialogue, dark humour, suspense and emotional vulnerability. You don’t need to know Shakespeare’s history plays to appreciate a story about people fighting for power, recognition and control over their own futures.
And for those familiar with Tarragon’s commitment to developing original Canadian theatre, it’s another opportunity to see a distinctive new work take shape on a Toronto stage.
Prophetess runs through October 29, 2026, at Tarragon Theatre’s Mainspace, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto. The production runs approximately 90 minutes without intermission.
Tickets: Regular admission starts at $72, with senior tickets from $62, arts-worker tickets from $29 and student tickets from $24. Applicable service fees are extra, and discounted tickets are subject to eligibility.
👉 Tickets and performance schedule: https://purchase.tarragontheatre.com/EventAvailability?EventId=11401
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