Blyth Festival Adds Limited Return Engagement of Emma Donoghue’s THE WIND COMING OVER THE SEA

The Blyth Festival has announced a limited second run of The Wind Coming Over the Sea, the acclaimed original folk musical by internationally bestselling author and playwright Emma Donoghue (Room, The Wonder). The Blyth Festival has announced a limited second run of The Wind Coming Over the Sea, the acclaimed original folk musical by internationally bestselling author and playwright Emma Donoghue (Room, The Wonder). Due to popular demand following a sold-out world premiere, additional performances have been scheduled from September 25 to October 5 at The Margaret Stephens Stage at Memorial Hall in Blyth, Ontario. Tickets are now on sale.

Directed by Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt, the production stars Shelayna Christante and Landon Doak as Jane and Henry Johnson, a young couple separated by the Atlantic during the Great Famine of the 1840s. The musical combines traditional Irish and British ballads with verbatim text from the real-life letters exchanged between The Johnsons as they navigated the perils and promise of emigration from Northern Ireland to Southwestern Ontario.

“The letters were so moving to me,” said Donoghue. “They acted like a vector between these human beings, a kind of rope of love thrown from one to the next carrying Jane across the sea to Henry.”

The original production premiered on June 28 and was met with critical acclaim and enthusiastic audience response. The work was developed through Blyth’s longstanding commitment to original Canadian theatre and marks Donoghue’s return to The Johnsons' story, which she first explored in her 1998 short story Counting the Days.

Ticketing Information

The Wind Coming Over the Sea

September 25 – October 5, 2025
The Margaret Stephens Stage at Memorial Hall, Blyth, ON

The production features a creative team including set and lighting designer Ken MacKenzie, Costume Designer Meghan Choma, sound designer Adam Campbell, music director Anne Lederman, and music supervisor George Meanwell. The cast also includes Geoffrey Armour, Masae Day, and Michelle Fisk.

MPP Lisa Thompson praised the festival’s impact on rural Ontario, noting that through the Experience Ontario 2025 program, “we're helping bring even more people to Huron–Bruce to shop, dine, stay—and be inspired.” MP Ben Lobb added, “The Blyth Festival’s success helps bridge generations and deepen the roots of community.”