What to know
- Soulpepper Theatre’s De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail tells the true story of Irish author Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned in 1895 for “gross indecency” and wrote a 55,000-word letter to his love, Lord Alfred Douglas.
- Adapted from Wilde’s De Profundis by Canadian actor and playwright Gregory Prest, Mike Ross, and Sarah Wilson, the 90-minute musical explores love, heartbreak and resilience through music, memories and reflection.
- Returning after a popular 2024 run, the production won two Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Damien Atkins reprises his role as Wilde, sharing the part with Rick Miller for select performances.
- The show runs from Nov. 3 to 29 at Soulpepper’s Michael Young Theatre in Toronto’s Distillery District, with tickets starting at $45.
If musicals, tragic love stories, and historical events are your thing, Soulpepper Theatre has the production for you! Toronto residents can enjoy the theatre company’s latest show, De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail.
Based on real-life events, the story follows Oscar Wilde, an Irish author and poet who is thrown behind bars for acts of “gross indecency” with other men in 1895. While in jail, Wilde writes a 55,000-word letter to his love, Lord Alfred Douglas.
The story was adapted from Wilde’s De Profundis and directed into a musical production by Canadian actor and playwright Gregory Prest.
The show is making a return to Soulpepper Theatre following popular demand, with its first run in early 2024. The production initially earned two Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Musical/Opera and Outstanding Performance by an Individual for Damien Atkins, who played Wilde. Critics praised Atkins’s performance as “sensational” and “monumental.
Atkins returns for the 2026 edition, sharing the role with fellow actor Rick Miller on select performances.
The story is one of love, heartbreak, and resilience as Wilde served out his two-year prison sentence, while writing daily pages to his love.
Within 90 minutes, Wilde writes with music, memories, and moments of reflection to explore the events leading up to his imprisonment.
De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail returns to the Michael Young Theatre at Soulpepper for a limited run in Toronto’s Distillery District. Tickets start at $45, with the show running from Nov. 3 to 29.
