Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre will launch their 46th season with a world premiere. The Canadian feminist theatre company presents Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs by Chelsea Woolley, directed by Nightwood Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson.
Performances run from September 16 to October 5 in what will be the company’s first full length season at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre. The Centre recently opened in March 2025 in a collaboration between Nightwood and Tapestry Opera.
Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs by Chelsea Woolley
Vic makes a hard landing at a women’s shelter. She’s a woman in her 20s who’s on the run and looking for a safe space away from the harsh realities of her everyday. Time stands still as the various facets of her personality take shape in personified form, and she considers her present and future.
The story, despite its parameters, is shot through with unexpected comedy, much of it from Woolley’s highly physical take on the story.
In a statement, Woolley comments, “Enormity is about a woman arriving at a shelter and taking stock of what circumstances have occurred for her to end up there. The shelter system isn’t something any of us assume we will have need of, yet gendered violence occurs indiscriminately.
“I hope this sentiment allows an audience to go on this journey together in collective empathy, hope, and joy. This story is a celebration of the enduring power and bravery we all have as individuals, neighbours, and sisters. How special to share that through a communal night at the theatre.”
The play was developed through Nightwood Theatre’s Write from the Hip program, and marks 10 years of collaboration between playwright Chelsea Woolley and director Andrea Donaldson.
“Chelsea has written one of the most vivid and exciting plays I’ve ever directed. She deftly weaves high stakes with wicked humour in a play that invites inventive, playful staging. A truly astonishing puzzle,” Donaldson adds.
Details
The ensemble cast includes: Vivien Endicott-Douglas (Lo (or Dear Mr. Wells) & Guarded Girls), Bria McLaughlin (School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play), Sofia Rodriguez (Beautiful Man & The Solitudes), Philippa Domville (Master Plan), Emerjade Simms (School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play & Calpurnia NAC), and Liz Der (Trojan Girls), with Marta Armstrong and Noa Furlong alternating the role of Daisy.
The design team includes: Raha Javanfar (lighting designer), Cosette ‘Ettie’ Pin (sound designer), Ting-Huan 挺歡 Christine Urquhart (set designer), Amanda Wong 黄婷婷 (costume designer), Lisa Karen Cox (movement director), and Christina Fox (intimacy & fight director).
- Find tickets and performance details for Enormity, Girl, And The Earthquake In Her Lungs [HERE].
Nightwood Theatre 2025-26 Season
Nightwood focuses on producing and supporting the creation of theatre by women and gender-expansive artists. The company was founded in 1979, and its plays and productions have garnered multiple awards, including the Dora Mavor Moore, Chalmers, Trillium and Governor General’s Awards.
The new season includes the 40th anniversary edition of the Groundswell Festival, along with creative collaboration with Obsidian Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, and Tarragon Theatre.
ENORMITY, GIRL, AND THE EARTHQUAKE IN HER LUNGS
Written by Chelsea Woolley
Directed by Andrea Donaldson
A Nightwood Theatre production, in association with Tarragon Theatre
September 16 – October 5, 2025 at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre
Opening night September 18, 2025. See above!
HOW TO CATCH CREATION
Written by Christina Anderson
Directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu
A Nightwood Theatre, Obsidian Theatre, and Soulpepper co-production
April 23 – May 17, 2026 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts
Opening night April 30, 2026
Set in San Francisco, this story follows four artists and intellectuals who discover writings of a Black queer feminist from the 1960s, the fallout of which has unexpected consequences. The play examines larger themes of creativity and artistic expression, and the legacy of creators.
THE GROUNDSWELL FESTIVAL
Readings from our 2025 Write From The Hip playwrights program
November 17 – 20, 2025 at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre
The 40th anniversary Groundswell Festival will be led by Program Director Intisar Awisse and Program Associate Mya Wong. New play readings will include work by Beck Lloyd, Mason McDonald, Tanvi Vyas, Renée Wong, and Brianna Wright.
The full Groundswell Festival schedule will be available in October 2025.
- Find tickets and subscriptions for the Nightwood Theatre 2025/26 season [HERE].
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