Award-winning, Toronto-based theatre company, Theatre Smith-Gilmour (TSG) is bringing their latest original play, Pu Songling: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, to The Burlington Performing Arts Centre on November 22nd and 23rd.

Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith founded TSG after meeting at the drama School of Jacques Lecoq in Paris in 1978. Together, they have created 40 shows, 19 of which are original plays. Smith and Gilmour have brought their performances to 14 different countries and have collected 10 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and the Montreal English Critics Award. Through TSG, they present artistically significant plays that push boundaries to “communicate stories of universal meaning reflecting ephemeral moments from the chaos of life.”

Their most recent creation, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, is based on the mythical short stories of the 17th century Chinese writer Pu Songling, whose stories about ghosts and foxes blend myth and reality to unveil society’s dark elements. The play’s cast and creatives state that they are drawn to the strange elements of Pu Songling’s writings, particularly his knack for using odd tales to capture poignant and timeless portraits of humanity.

TSG will also host an acting workshop on Saturday, November 23rd from 10 am to 1 pm in BPAC’s Community Studio Theatre. This active participation workshop, led by Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith, explores how to embody a character and story through improvisation and movement to create one’s own theatre. Gilmour and Smith, who are both professionally trained actors and directors, have taught at the National Theatre School and the Shanghai Drama Academy, and they are thrilled to bring their teachings to The Burlington Performing Arts Centre. This workshop is open to the public and all levels of experience are welcome.