From Tuesday, April 8 to Saturday, April 12, 2025 – Producer, performer, director and creator Stella Kulagowski is proud to present the world premiere of 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, running at The Assembly Theatre.
In a moment when billionaire bunkers, disastrous climate change horrors and vigilante avengers gunning down the ultra-wealthy dominate the headlines, Masque of the Red Death strikes at the heart of modern inequality. Inside a luxury compound, where tech elite shelter from environmental collapse, a resistance brews beneath the surface of a cabaret troupe.
When a wealthy founder invites hand-picked guests into his fortress of excess, he unknowingly welcomes a group of performers with revolution on their minds. At the centre of this powder keg stands Ariadne, his trusted assistant, torn between loyalty and liberation as the performers execute their intricately choreographed plan for justice.
Slay the house down
The line between audience and accomplice blurs in this darkly entertaining production, as live performances become increasingly dangerous acts of defiance. In the 1842 original, Poe represents the seven deadly sins with seven coloured rooms in Prince Prospero’s abbey. In this version, Kulagowski has inverted those sins to name each of the resistance characters after a queer virtue that derives from the Progress Flag.
The cast features Stella Kulagowski as Creation, Eli Holliday as Love, Nailah Renuka as Tolerance, Rennaldo Quinicot as Pride, Rosalind Saunders as Joy, Bryna Bella as Generosity and Joy Thompson as Community, with Parham Rownaghi as Darius Prospero and Rachel Manson as Ariadne.
“This timely adaptation transforms Poe’s gothic masterpiece into a rallying cry for our era, asking not if the ultra-wealthy will face a reckoning, but when – and at whose hands? In a world where eat-the-rich hashtags trend alongside climate disasters, this show dares to imagine what happens when the entertainment becomes the revolution.”
– Stella Kulagowski, creator, producer & performer, Masque of the Red Death
(Photo credits: Cast of Masque of the Red Death.)
Event details
Created, produced, directed & hosted by: Stella Kulagowski
Type of event: cabaret performance
Cast: Stella Kulagowski, Eli Holliday, Nailah Renuka, Rennaldo Quinicot, Rosalind Saunders, Bryna Bella, Joy Thompson, Parham Rownaghi & Rachel Manson
Music by: Yahenda
Dates: Tuesday, April 8 – Saturday, April 12, 2025
Start times: 8:00 PM ET nightly (doors @ 7:30 PM) + Saturday matinée @ 3:00 PM ET (doors @ 2:30 PM)
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: General admission: C$43.93 / Community ticket: C$22.63 (all pricing includes fees)
Location: The Assembly Theatre, 1479 Queen Street West, ON, M6R 1A1, Canada
Trailer: Watch the trailer.
Booking link: Book your tickets here.
Contact details: Stella Kulagowski, stella@saintstella.com, motrd.eventbrite.ca
Content warning: For adult audiences 18+.
Accessibility: Stairs are required to enter the building and the theatre space. Bathroom is not accessible.
Refund policy: Refunds up to 7 days before event. Eventbrite’s fee is non-refundable.