Masque of the Red Death at The Assembly Theatre

Producer, performer and creator Stella Kulagowski is proud to present the World Premiere of The Masque of the Red Death, a dark and delightful reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 short story through an intoxicating blend of burlesque, drag, song, and immersive theatre. The Masque of the Red Death will run for six performances April 8-12 at The Assembly Theatre.

In a moment when billionaire bunkers, disastrous climate change horrors and vigilante avengers gunning down the ultra-wealthy dominate headlines, The Masque of the Red Death strikes at the heart of modern inequality with this timely adaptation. Inside a luxury compound where tech elite shelter from environmental collapse, a resistance brews beneath the surface of a cabaret.

In the 1842 original, Poe represents the seven deadly sins with seven coloured rooms in Prince Prospero's abbey. In this version, Stella Kulagowski has inverted those sins to name each of the resistance characters after a queer virtue that derives from the Progress Flag. The Masque of the Red Death will feature a dynamic cast including: Stella Kulagowski as Creation; Eli Holliday as Love; Nailah Renuka as Tolerance; Rennaldo Quinicot as Pride; Rosalind Saunders as Joy; Bryna Bella as Generosity; Joy Thompson as Community; with Parham Rownaghi as Darius Prospero; and Rachel Manson as Ariadne.