Theatre Smith-Gilmour To Present English-Language World Premiere Of PU SONGLING: STRANGE TALES

Theatre Smith-Gilmour will present the English-language world premiere of PU SONGLING: STRANGE TALES at Crow’s Theatre in Toronto. The production celebrates the work of Chinese writer Pu Songling and brings a collection of his supernatural stories to the stage through a new theatrical adaptation developed by a Dora Award-winning creative team.

Adapted by Michele Smith, John Ng, Diana Tso, Steven Hao, Dean Gilmour, and Madelaine Hodges, with special thanks to Michael Man, Lindsay Wu, Rosie Simon, and Jeff Yung, the production weaves together a series of supernatural vignettes drawn from Chinese folklore. The adaptation blends the uncanny, tragic, and darkly comedic, exploring themes of shared humanity through stories of demons, reincarnated souls, shape-shifting foxes, resurrected corpses, and moral reckoning.

“Pu Songling takes us somewhere else that you could say is horrifying, but it's also exciting,” said John Ng, who appears in the production.

Directed by Dora Award winner Michele Smith Gilmour, the cast includes Dean Gilmour, John Ng 伍健琪, Diana Tso 曹楓, Steven Hao 郝邦宇, and Madelaine Hodges 賀美倫. The creative team includes lighting designer Noah Feaver, set and Costume Designer Ting-Huan Christine Urquhart, and stage manager Andrew Dollar.

“At the heart of our work is shared humanity; it's great to see an audience from all walks of life, and everyone is equally compelled by these stories,” said Dean Gilmour, co-founder of Theatre Smith-Gilmour. Michele Smith added, “The stories invite the audience to dream and to imagine, and that's what audiences love to do.”

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