Oyin Oladejo Stars In MEDUSA At Soulpepper In June
The production is directed by Outside the March's award-winning Artistic Director, Mitchell Cushman.
In June, Soulpepper Theatre Company, in collaboration with leading immersive theatre company Outside the March, will present the World premiere of a visceral, theatrical, defiantly witty and fearless new play from acclaimed playwright Erin Shields, MEDUSA.
Directed by Outside the March's award-winning Artistic Director, Mitchell Cushman, this innovative production –distinguished by unique immersive sound design– is on stage June 19th to July 12th, 2026.
Shields is one of the most in-demand playwrights in the country, and with MEDUSA she returns to fertile ground, reaching back through time to the ancient past while speaking to the lived experience of women in the present moment. As past and present collide, in Shields' story Medusa is a woman trying to assert her power while surrounded by forces conspiring to diminish it. Offering up a raw, electrifying, and mischievous dive into female fury – as Medusa grapples with the voices that haunt her mind and heart and the rage that refuses to be contained, the production will immerse the audience in a world where a woman's anger is seen for what it is – justified.
Featuring an extraordinary ensemble cast, the production will be led by the commanding talent of Nigerian Canadian actor Oyin Oladejo (Is God Is, TomorrowLove, Star Trek Discovery) as Medusa, alongside Amy Keating, Sasha Khan, Michelle Monteith, Danté Prince, and Gord Rand.
“I've always been both terrified and exhilarated at the thought of Medusa – the rage-fuelled monster who can turn a man to stone with her stare,” shares Shields. “Her anger is unapologetic, visceral and powerful. She lives a solitary life in a cave and yet she is hunted by men because her very existence threatens the status quo. From the time we are girls, women are instructed to control our anger – swallow it, hide it, bury it - lest we be mistaken for a monster that needs to be shunned and destroyed. And yet the rage is still there, bubbling underneath, waiting to be released like Medusa's head of serpents. This play is an exploration of the cost of swallowing the rage and the cost of setting it free.”
“Erin Shields' Medusa is a thrilling reimagining of one of our oldest myths,” adds Soulpepper Artistic Director Paolo Santalucia. “These foundational stories endure because they speak to something primal in us - the forces that shape civilization, language, and the versions of ourselves we learn to perform. Erin's work understands that mythology is not fixed or distant; it is alive because each generation must confront these foundational narratives again and again - and discover what they still reveal about power, transformation, rage, and the ways a person becomes who they are in the eyes of the world."
In keeping with the vanguard work Mitchell Cushman and Outside the March (OtM) are known for and employing equipment from the company's Outfit the March program, MEDUSA will feature an immersive sound experience devised in collaboration with Sound Designer Heidi Wai-Yee Chan (Rainbow on Mars, Death of Walt Disney). Audiences will each receive a unique headset designed by the OtM team –that will sit above the wearer's ear, which will subtly broadcast the voices of Medusa's inner monologue while not overwhelming the stage action.
Cushman and Shields began collaborating on this component of the project early in the development of the play, meaningfully integrating the sound design into the storytelling.
“From the beginning Erin had the idea that the snakes that adorn Medusa's head could be representative of the various personas and forces pushing and pulling her internally–trying to limit her power and agency– and that that could be actualized with sound,” shares Cushman. “We have designed the audio experience of the show to offer the audience a playful, intimate access into Medusa's inner life – what makes her tick and the revolution she is brewing against the forces trying to stifle her. It is an exciting approach to immersive theatre making that I think will be fun and compelling for the audience.”
Adding to the immersive elements of the production, Act 2 of the production is staged within a modern-day rage room environment. The contrasting worlds of Acts 1 and 2 are designed by OtM resident designer Anahita Dehbonehie with lighting by Nick Blais,and costume design by Ming Wong.
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