Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig’s Snow in Midsummer begins previews tomorrow at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. Nina Lee Aquino directs this haunting update of the legendary Yuan era drama, The Injustice to Dou E That Moved Heaven and Earth, by Golden Age of Chinese Drama playwright Guan Hanqing.

Businesswoman Tianyun (Donna Soares) purchases a factory in rural China and moves to the nearby town of New Harmony with her daughter Fei-Fei (Eponine Lee). Wracked by decades of financial hardship thanks to an abnormal drought, the struggling townsfolk hope Tianyun’s investment will break the curse and restore the town to prosperity. When prominent citizens start turning up brutally murdered and Fei-Fei begins seeing ghosts, Tianyun must contend with both the village’s tragic history and the lingering spectres of her own troubled past.

The Canadian premiere of Snow in Midsummer also features Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster, Cosette Derome, Manami Hara, Richard Lee, Michael Man, John Ng, Travis Seetoo, Jonathan Tan, Kelly Wong and Lindsay Wu.

The Shaw’s production of Snow in Midsummer features innovative set design by Camellia Koo, dramatic lighting design by Michelle Ramsay, original music and sound design by John Gzowski and contemporary costume design by Joanna Yu. They are supported by stage manager Jane Vanstone Osborn and assistant stage manager Sang-Sang Lee.

On stage at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre (10 Queen’s Parade) from August 8 to October 5, Snow in Midsummer has mature content and is recommended for audience members 14+/Grade 9+. Running time is approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, with one intermission.

The Shaw Festival’s 2024 season runs through to December 22, with a playbill featuring Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, One Man, Two Guvnors, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart, Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution, The Secret Garden, The Orphan of Chao, Candida, The House That Will Not Stand, Snow in Midsummer and A Christmas Carol. The Spiegeltent’s season features The Shaw Variety Show, The Roll of Shaw, Kabarett, Cotton Club, Coffee Concerts, Footlights, Speakeasies, What’s In Your Songbook and Gospel Choir.

For tickets visit: www.shawfest.com.