One of Canada’s most electrifying new voices in theatre is set to make his Atlantic Canadian debut this month as Matchstick Theatre brings The Huns, a biting workplace comedy by Michael Ross Albert, to the intimate Craig Boardroom at Neptune Theatre.
Running from Aug. 26 to Sept. 7, The Huns plunges audiences into the high-stakes world of corporate crisis management gone haywire. Set during an emergency hybrid meeting following an office break-in, the play follows three millennial tech employees—Shelley (Katerina Bakolias), Pete (Liam Fair), and Iris (Gil Anderson)—as they spiral from corporate diplomacy to emotional warfare in real time. With bosses on the line, deadlines looming, and secrets boiling to the surface, The Huns becomes a volatile cocktail of personal anxiety and professional chaos sprinkled with generational humour.
“The Huns is a cutting office comedy and nuanced exploration of today’s working world,” says director Jake Planinc, who is also the artistic director of Matchstick Theatre.
Written by Albert, whose work has garnered critical acclaim at the Toronto Fringe (Patron’s Pick, Best of Fringe), the play is described as fiercely funny, but it also takes a deeply human look at contemporary office life. The Huns blends sharp dialogue, rising tension, and dark wit to explore themes of identity, ambition, and the quiet despair of modern working culture.
Planinc said, “The Huns is about finding meaning and connection at work. Michael’s ear for dialogue, empathetic approach to character, and incredible pacing make for scintillating theatre. I’m ecstatic that our company is staging the Atlantic Canadian debut of The Huns in Halifax.”
Staged as part of both the 2025 Halifax Fringe Festival and Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax’s inaugural Momentum presentation series, this production also marks a new chapter in site-specific theatre in the region. The Craig Boardroom at Neptune Theatre (1593 Argyle St.) provides an unusually intimate performance space, placing audiences just feet from the actors in a setting that mirrors the workplace setting of the play itself.
The show is designed by Jordan Palmer and Kaelen MacDonald, with Chelsea Dickie as stage manager and Alex Mills as house manager. A PWYC (Pay What You Can) preview takes place Aug. 26, with regular tickets priced at $20 until the last show.
“We’re running evening performances from August 26 to 30 and September 2 to 6 at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on August 30 and 31, and September 6 and 7 at 2:00 p.m.,” says Planinc.
Matchstick Theatre is fresh off its Robert Merritt Award-winning production of Leaving Home (Outstanding Production, 2024), and Planinc said the theatre is continuing its mission to reinvigorate Canadian theatre in Kjipuktuk/Halifax by showcasing contemporary voices and complex stories.
Audience members with accessibility needs are encouraged to email the theatre in advance so that accommodations can be made. The website has a note to audience members, informing them that The Huns contains mature language, discussions of self-harm, and sexual content. The production also includes sensory elements such as loud, overlapping voices and intimate audience seating with close proximity to the action, which may affect some viewers.
With The Huns, Planinc said, “we invite audiences to reckon with the questions the play prompts them to consider. Are the ways we’re working and connecting with each other sustainable? Do they isolate and divide us? Or keep us together? Does work give us meaning and purpose?”
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2025.