MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO, ON (Jan 19, 2026) – Shakespeare in the Ruff presents its 2026 season in Toronto’s East End: a genre-spanning celebration of love and romance that continues our company’s commitment to balancing experimentation with accessibility.
As You Like It
For our fifteenth annual mainstage production, Ruff presents an adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy As You Like It, written by LAMBDA-award-winning playwright Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho), directed by Warona Setshwaelo, and starring Ruff collective member Jeff Yung 容海峯. Pre-show performances by Isi Bhakhomen will take place during our second weekend. The production will have a limited run August 15-30, 2026, in Withrow Park in Toronto.
The Garden Initiative
A new version of our annual youth program is ready to blossom. Shakespeare in the Ruff presents The Garden Initiative, a summer performing arts intensive specifically for young mothers ages 16-22. Three participants will gain foundational artistic and creative skills in workshops led by professional theatre artists. The Garden Initiative is supported by Jessie’s — the June Callwood Centre for Young Women.
Marathon Macbeth
New this year, Ruff is scaling up its annual Winter Tale programming from an in-development presentation to a fully realized performance. Marathon Macbeth is a durational theatrical experiment-slash-fundraiser in support of The Garden Initiative. Dora-winners Christine Horne and Dan Mousseau will perform a condensed version of the Scottish Play’s infamous marriage over… and over… and over again. The more money Ruff raises, the longer the actors will go! Marathon Macbeth performs one day only April 12, 2026, hosted by and with the generous support of VideoCabaret.
Community workshops and gatherings
Ruff continues to offer rich supplementary programming with another season of our podcast Ruff Radio and our virtual book club Ruff Reads. Also returning is our Build-a-Bard workshop series, in a second iteration focused on the dramaturgy of rom-coms, and Reimagining the Canon facilitated by Jeff Ho and Patricia Allison.
For more information, please visit:
Our website (www.shakespeareintheruff.com)
Our company Instagram (@shakespeareruff)
Our Ruff Reads Instagram (@shakesruffreads)
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About Shakespeare in the Ruff
Shakespeare in the Ruff dedicates itself to challenging the Shakespearean canon by reimagining these stories for the present day, with and for marginalized voices in our community. Our work strives for the integration of Five Key Values: Creative Audacity, Education, Anti-Racism, Respect, and Accessibility. We serve the East End Toronto community, with most of our events happening in or around Withrow Park.
Now entering our fifteenth year, our annual programming springs from a single Shakespeare play at the centre of each season. Our summer mainstage production in Withrow Park is always a radical adaptation that pushes the boundaries of form and content for outdoor theatre. All our performances are free or pay-what-you-can. At every show, we offer Accessibility on Demand to audiences, which includes: live captioning, street-to-seat guides, pre-show touch tours, audio description, and a roll-a-ramp for mobility devices. We provide free on-site childcare for artists working on our summer production.
Our winter performance — Ruff’s Winter Tale — offers a counterpoint to the themes of our summer programming. Our Playground skill-building workshops for artists, Ruff Reads book club and Ruff Radio podcast extend the conversation around our season programming. Our summer youth program offers integrated performing arts education to youth, providing hands-on, one-on-one mentorship with professional artists.
Media requiring further information, interviews, or imagery/b-roll, please contact:
Nathaniel Hanula-James
nathaniel@shakespeareintheruff.com