When Botticelli in the Fire premiered in 2019, its reimagining of the relationships of the famous Renaissance painter amid rising religious turmoil was acutely tuned to the times.
That exploration of what it meant to chase love, desire, and art, while worrying about the safety of oneself in a world turning against queer identities, reflected the rising anti-2SLGBTQ+ sentiment across North America at the time.
Now, seven years after its world premiere, Downstage’s production of Botticelli in the Fire is even more aptly positioned to be both a reflection of the political turmoil that Calgary itself faced, with anti-transgender and 2SLGBTQ+ protests and political posturing throughout 2023 and 2024, and of a 2026 that has come to know outright Christian nationalism in the highest halls of power.
It is not hard to draw parallels in the themes of Botticelli seeking to create beautiful art and to have the freedom to love whom he does, while his world begins to come under threat from the radical preacher Savonarola, who seeks to destroy everything that he deems immoral.
“Playwright Jordan Tannahill draws striking parallels between High Renaissance Florence and today’s polarized political climate. There’s an irreverent and cathartic quality to this production, and it’s also a call to action, asking each of us to stand up for what we love most,” said Clare Preuss, artistic director of Downstage and director of the production.
That those topics of censorship and oppression of thought are evergreen only serves to emphasize the importance of staging this latest production of Botticelli in the Fire.
Fictional, but not
Zachary Parsons-Lozinski, speaking to On Cue Calgary about his role in the production as Botticelli’s best friend, Poggio, said that the Renaissance setting provides a cushion for the audience to examine those topics, which are very relevant for 2026.
“Because what we are dealing with is so difficult to just put a small amount of distance between it, where people will understand what we are talking about,” he said.
“Especially when you’re currently living through that political turmoil, it would be it would be much harder to ask people to step out of living it into just watching it.”
Yet, said Parsons-Lozinski, as a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and a drag performer, stepping on stage as the camp Cassandra warning both Botticelli and the audience about the dangers to come from intolerance is more akin to being himself than to performing.
“I found that playing the character of Poggio, who is fictional, it’s been quite difficult, because he is one for one, aligned with my politics and my morals and my ethics. So it’s been a very interesting rehearsal process where sometimes I don’t even really feel like I’m acting,” he said.
“I just kind of feel like I’m channeling a tremendous amount of myself and my lived experience, and the greatest hope that you can have for any character in any show is that someone’s going to hear that character speak and see some of themselves in it.”
There is, in turn, a fair bit of irony in the fact that it is likely to be the real-life figures of Botticelli, Lorenzo de’ Medici, and Leonardo da Vinci that will be the draw for audiences—who will instead get a very real, very Alberta perspective on politics and faith through a character who is entirely fictional.
“It’s honestly a tremendous honour, and it’s something that I take very seriously. I’ve been representing outrageous political queer art in Alberta for over a decade with drag in clubs, in bars, on theatrical stages, and so I feel a pressure to represent for my community in a substantial way, in a perfected way, because this is an important work,” said Parsons-Lozinski.
“I want people to emphasize with what we’re going through, and I want people to see us as human and not as a statistic. I’m very fortunate that a lot of the work that I do is about that.”
“This is the first time that I’ve gotten to do it in Calgary. It’s difficult, but I’m so grateful for theatres like Downstage and Hit & Myth that are committed to producing work that humanizes queerness in Alberta, especially now.”
Botticelli in the Fire runs from March 4 to March 14, 2026, in the Big Secret Theatre at the Werklund Centre. For more details and tickets, see downstage.ca.
