A LOVE STORY, A REBELLION, A MIRROR TO OUR TIMES

From the electrifying imagination of Jordan Tannahill, one of Canada’s most celebrated playwrights, comes a daring and provocative reimagining of Renaissance Florence that feels urgently of the now. Botticelli in the Fire runs March 4 – 14, 2026 at the Big Secret Theatre in the Werklund Centre, produced by Downstage with the generous support of Hit & Myth Productions.

Botticelli in the Fire reimagines the life of Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli at a moment when art, religion, politics, and personal desire are violently entangled. As the radical preacher Savonarola rises to power and calls for the destruction of “immoral” art, Botticelli is pulled between his devotion to beauty, his startling love, and a society demanding ideological purity. The play explores how extremism takes hold, how desire becomes dangerous, and how artists survive, or are destroyed, when their work is caught in the crossfire of political upheaval.

“I’m thrilled to collaborate with Hit & Myth on this provocatively playful production of Botticelli in the Fire. The whole team is incredibly skilled and deeply invested. It’s a play full of music, art, and fashion – and it feels so important right here, right now,” said Clare Preuss, Artistic Director of Downstage, who is also directing this production.

“Playwright Jordan Tannahill draws striking parallels between High Renaissance Florence and today’s polarized political climate. There’s an irreverent and cathartic quality to this production, and it’s also a call to action, asking each of us to stand up for what we love most.”

Described by The Telegraph as “the stuff of a TV thriller,” this extravagant and dangerous spectacle collapses centuries into a world where artists drive sports cars, text their lovers, and play squash between revolutions. As politics, desire, and ambition collide, one man’s devotion to beauty threatens to ignite a cultural and political firestorm.

“I’ve loved working with Downstage in the past, and this will be our fifth co-production – we share a common vision for producing theatre that is provocative and engaging. Botticelli in the Fire is a play that delights, provokes, questions, and above all else, entertains. It is a very cool, kick ass piece of theatre,” added Joel Cochrane, Hit & Myth’s Artistic Producer, who plays Lorenzo in the production.

“While it’s set in the Renaissance, what’s crazy to me is that it may as well be set in 2026; because we are still dealing with the same issues of oppression, poverty, censorship, personal freedoms, and the seemingly never ending rise/return of fundamentalism.”

Set against a society teetering on the edge of collapse, Botticelli in the Fire asks a haunting question: when everything is burning, can art survive the flames?

Under the incisive direction of Clare Preuss, this production delivers a visceral theatrical experience – sensuous, volatile, and unflinchingly contemporary – blurring the line between history and the present moment.

Botticelli in the Fire 

Written by Jordan Tannahill 

Big Secret Theatre, Werklund Centre (formerly Arts Commons)

March 4–14, 2026

Please Note: This production contains scenes with nudity, sex, and violence. Recommended for audiences 16+.

CAST

Madre Maria – Kris Alvarez

Lorenzo – Joel Cochrane

Savonarola – Christopher Hunt

Poggio – Zachary Parsons-Lozinski

Leonardo – Ethan Vasquez Taylor

Sandro – Eric Wigston

Clarice – Sydney Williams

CREATIVE TEAM

Playwright – Jordan Tannahill

Director – Clare Preuss

Assistant Director – Keith Boniol

Fight Director – Brianna Johnston

Co-Choreographers – Keith Boniol & Clare Preuss

Original Composition – Maddie Bautista

Sound Design & Music Direction – Alixandra Cowman

Set Design – Julia Kim

Head of Props – Nicole Logan

Lighting Design – Adam Kostiuk

Costume Design – Rebecca Toon

Lobby Installation Artist – Lex Hilderman

Downstage Producer – Bianca Miranda

Stage Manager – Naomi Esau

Assistant Stage Manager – Staci Hanley

Production Manager – Marcia Liber

Publicist – Aldona B Creative

Downstage is an award-winning Calgary-based theatre company dedicated to producing plays that create meaningful conversation around social issues. Their plays provoke vibrant dialogue between Calgarians, both informally and through nightly post-performance discussions. For more information on Downstage, please visit www.downstage.ca.

Hit & Myth Productions was established in 2006, and since that time has produced over 40 professional shows, engaging numerous local actors, directors and designers. Hit & Myth collaborates with small to mid-sized theatre companies and independent artists to co-produce theatre that is provocative, modern, sensational, and above all else, entertaining. https://www.hitandmyth.net/

For more information, visit: https://downstage.ca/show/botticelli-in-the-fire/