THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH World Premiere is Coming to Assembly Theatre

Producer, performer and creator Stella Kulagowski will 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. Murphy Diggon is the stage manager, Chin Palipane is Lx Consultant & Technician, and original music is by Yahenda.

The line between audience and accomplice blurs in The Masque of the Red Death. When a wealthy founder invites hand-picked guests into his fortress of excess, he unknowingly welcomes in a troupe of performers with revolution on their minds. At the center of this powder keg stands Ariadne, Prospero's trusted assistant, torn between loyalty and liberation as the performers execute their intricately choreographed plan for justice. The performers weave a web of seduction and subterfuge, turning entertainment into ammunition against the privileged few who believe wealth can buy salvation from a dying world.

Stella Kulagowski is a Toronto-based performer, producer, creator, and movement teacher whose artistic practice celebrates queer joy through innovative theatrical productions and burlesque performance. With thirteen years of experience creating sold-out shows, they've consistently pushed boundaries by reimagining classic narratives through a queer lens, including productions like "Lysistrata" (2017), "Carmilla" (2018), and "Mayhem at Miskatonic" (2019). As St. Stella, they are an award-winning burlesque performer who has graced the stage at the prestigious Burlesque Hall of Fame. A recipient of the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's emerging queer artist award, a Canada Council pandemic grant and a 2024 Rainbow Community Arts Grant, Stella's work focuses on creating transformative experiences that spotlight the beauty and resilience of marginalized voices. Their productions blend immersive theatre, burlesque, and social commentary to create spaces where audiences become active participants in the celebration of queer narratives.

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