Mary Stuart reimagined by Calgary’s Sage Theatre — with a pay-after-you-watch ticket model

Women may not always be the ones writing history — but they are often its fiercest players.

Sage Theatre’s latest production, Mary Stuart, distills the iconic power struggle between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I into an intimate, modern adaptation. Running April 25 to May 4 at Motel Theatre in Arts Commons, the show reworks Friedrich Schiller’s 1800 classic into something lean, tense, and radically personal.

This isn’t your average period drama. Italian playwright Dacia Maraini’s adaptation, further streamlined by director Javier Vilalta, puts two women center stage — literally — and lets the rest fall away.

“It’s really just about these two women,” says actor Lauren Brotman, who plays Mary. “Javier stripped out all the historical clutter so we’re left with the emotion, the conflict, the humanity.”

The result is a cerebral, emotionally charged collision of power, politics, femininity, and longing — all unfolding within arm’s reach of the audience.

Motel Theatre is a small venue — and Sage is leaning into that intimacy. The stage is partially in the round, the audience set up on either side. There are no royal thrones or sweeping ballgowns here, just two women locked in a game of verbal chess.

“You’re going to be right next to us,” Brotman says. “You’ll be inside our sweat. That sounds intense, but it’s true — the show puts you in the thick of it.”

Brotman and co-star Norma Lewis (as Elizabeth I) never leave the stage. And while history kept the two queens apart, this adaptation brings them face to face — emotionally, if not always literally — in a charged, hour-long showdown.

“Sometimes you’re with Mary. Sometimes you’re with Elizabeth. Sometimes you’re against both of them,” says Brotman. “It’s all about what you see in yourself.”

Under Vilalta’s direction, the play explores not just gender and monarchy, but the archetype of the “female rivalry” — and the systems that stoke it.

“People love a good fight between women,” Brotman says. “But what makes this different is that it asks why that fight exists in the first place.”

The show’s design mirrors its themes: stylized, modern, and emotionally raw. The costumes nod to period detail without locking the story in time. The lighting and soundscape elevate the poetic language. And the energy between the two actors anchors everything.

“There’s so much trust between us,” Brotman says of working with Lewis. “This is emotionally intense work, and we check in constantly. We hold each other up.”

It’s tempting to call Mary Stuart a show for history lovers — and it is — but Brotman sees it as something broader. “It’s for anyone who wants to lean in,” she says. “It’s not audience participation — no one’s going to be put on the spot. But you are in the room with us. You’re in it.”

In the spirit of accessibility, Sage Theatre has introduced a flexible pricing model: tickets range from $15 to $60, allowing theatregoers to pay what they can. The approach has already proven successful, with record attendance and near-record box office returns for their last show, Boom Baby.

This time, they’re taking it one step further. For Mary Stuart, Sage is also inviting theatregoers to see the show first — and decide what to pay afterward.

“We’re not mandating it,” says artistic director Jason Mehmel. “Folks can still pay in advance — but we wanted to try something that reflects how people experience our work. If you loved it, let that guide your choice.”

“We’ve made some fantastic work over the last few years, and audiences have been incredibly vocal about it — in the lobby, online. So we thought: what if the ticket model reflected that enthusiasm?”

Seating is limited at Motel Theatre, and Sage encourages theatregoers to reserve a spot in advance — especially for those opting to pay after the show. Reservations are free and available through sagetheatre.com, with payment collected at the venue.

Reservations and info can be found at sagetheatre.com