Beware the sincere stranger.

Extremism doesn’t kick the door down on arrival. It waits for an invite, then makes itself at home.

It’s Christmas Eve, and a charming, unexpected guest arrives at the home of a polite bourgeois family. While holiday tensions simmer, the well-mannered stranger seduces his liberal hosts with a vision of a simpler world order.

Winter Solstice is a comedy of manners with a bite. Family, betrayal and the inescapable presence of the past reverberate through this dark, razor-sharp satire. Playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig is Germany's most performed playwright and one of Europe's most original voices, with productions worldwide in over 40 countries. Starring Diego Matamoros and Nancy Palk, directed by Alan Dilworth.

“★★★★
Devastatingly funny”
— What's on Stage
“★★★★
A radical transfixing play”
— The Guardian
“A Timely Satire”
— Variety

*review quotes from previous productions

Winter Solstice

by Roland Schimmelpfennig
Translated by David Tushingham

A Necessary Angel Theatre Company production
in association with Canadian Stage and Birdland Theatre
On stage January 14 - February 2, 2025