Enter Butler’s Marsh – a mysterious bog said to inhabit fairies by the locals of Bell Island. Written by Governor General Award Winning playwright, Robert Chafe and directed by fresh talent Brownyn Keough (Rhubarb! 47, Rising Tide Theatre), making their Toronto directorial debut - Butler’s Marsh is staged by Fairy Ring Theatre at The Theatre Centre’s BMO Incubator from October 1 to 3, 2026.

About the Show:

Butler’s Marsh; a mysterious bog said to inhabit fairies by the locals of Bell Island. 20 years prior, Nora’s mother disappeared on this marsh, appearing three days later covered in blood. Now, Nora is determined to uncover the truth. As she traverses the marsh, answers let loose, and Nora’s view of her beloved home changes forever.

Butler’s Marsh is a folk-horror play that showcases the unique folklore and traditions of Newfoundland, revealing the consequences of burying the truth in a fairytale.

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Butler’s Marsh

Playwright: Robert Chafe

Director & Co-Producer: Bronwyn Keough

Company: Fairy Ring Theatre

Cast: Jasmine Brough, Adrian Muhajarine

Co-Producer: Hemali Sankalya Ratnaweera

Stage Manager: Em Brown

Lighting Designer: Sephora N’Kosi

Set Designer: Myles Burry

Sound Designer: Ashley Naomi Skye

Runtime: 75 minutes

Performance Dates:

Thursday, October 1st 7:00pm

Friday, October 2nd 7:00pm

Saturday, October 3rd 3:00pm

Saturday, October 3rd 7:00pm

Venue: The Theatre Centre, BMO Incubator

Accolades:

Director Bronwyn Keough was recently featured in Buddies in Bad Times’s Rhubarb! 47. Creative Team features Sound Design from 2026 Pauline McGibbon Award and TTCA winner Ashley Naomi Skye.

About the Playwright:

Robert Chafe is a writer, educator, actor and arts administrator based in St. John’s, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). He has worked in theatre, dance, opera, radio, fiction and film. His stage plays have been seen in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and in the United States, and include Oil and Water, Tempting Providence, Afterimage, Under Wraps, Between Breaths, EverybodyJust C@lm the F#ck Down and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (adaped from the novel by Wayne Johnston). He has been shortlisted three times for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama and won the award for Afterimage in 2010. He has been a guest instructor at Memorial University, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, and The National Theatre School of Canada. In 2018 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Memorial University. He is the playwright and Artistic Director of Artistic Fraud.

About the Director:

Bronwyn Keough is a Tkaronto-based theatre artist born and raised in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). Bronwyn’s training and early career focused on acting and playwriting, and has directed several short plays during their undergrad. In addition to obtaining an HBA in Theatre, Bronwyn carries an influential minor in History. Bronwyn gravitates towards rebellious adaptations: historical fiction and classical remounts that refuse to be bullied by conventions of the past. They love ambitious world-building and clever use of genre. They want stories they tell to fill in the gaps between recorded history, and love using archival material as a launching point for storytelling. As a cultural heritage and folklore enthusiast, Bronwyn’s work marries pop culture and traditional knowledge. Bronwyn loves small-town survival stories, and seeks to reveal the grotesquery beneath femininity.

For tickets visit: theatrecentre.org.