The Department of Theatre Presents: Don't Cry When Constellations Beg To Burn

By Ho Ka Kei / Jeff Ho

Directed by Sophie Gee

Don't beg when constellations beg to burn looks at a group of students tasked with selecting which books are to be taken out of their school library, based on the governing party's new guidelines. This is not some imaginary dystopian scenario. Playwright Ho Ka Kei included in his playtext an image of two women burning books outside a county library in China in December 2019. Closer to home, in July 2025 the Alberta government issued new guidelines on what library material children had access to in order “to ensure that school boards have clear guidance to ensure age-appropriate access to school library materials, while reflecting the values and priorities of Albertans.” PEN America has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in US public schools nationwide since 2021, a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s. We are currently living through a shift towards authoritarianism around the world. The play looks at how young people can enable this thought control - or resist it.

April 7 - 11, 2026

Tuesday April 7 at 20:00 (public dress rehearsal)

Wednesday April 8 at 20:00pm (preview)

Thursday April 9 at 20:00pm (opening)

Friday April 10 at 20:00pm

Saturday April 11 at 14:00pm