Whiteout thriller A Killing Snow blows into Vertigo Theatre
Emma Marshall, Publishing Editor
Snow starts as a whisper against the windshield. Then it howls.
A rural highway disappears in a matter of minutes, swallowed by white. The lines on the road vanish, sky and ground blurring to one. Driving any further would be unsafe, but it’s the middle of the night, and there’s nowhere else to go.
Except for a farmhouse in the distance. Its lights are glistening through the storm like a promise.
In A Killing Snow, that promise may be the most dangerous thing of all.
The thriller by playwright Paul Ciufo runs at Vertigo Theatre from March 14 to April 12. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. from Tuesdays to Saturdays, with additional showings at 2 p.m. on select weekends.
A Killing Snow: Andrew Moodie plays in A Killing Snow, showing at Vertigo Theatre this month. Photo by Fifth Wall Media
Plot, process, production
Set during a brutal Huron County blizzard, the play follows four strangers who take refuge in an isolated cabin owned by a fifth man — a retired Latin and history teacher named Gerald Goldie. As the storm rages outside, Latin phrases begin to appear mysteriously on the walls, and the tension inside the house rises.
“The characters are facing a terrible dilemma: Stay in this house with a killer, or venture outside and freeze it to death,” says playwright Paul Ciufo.
Ciufo notes that when he looks back on the play, “there are 100 ingredients that led to it.” The first being a “terrifying” drive home in a whiteout, which he claims is “the norm where he lives.”
“I live near the shore of Lake Huron, and these terrible snow squalls come off the lake and make driving really treacherous in winter,” says Ciufo.
He was also struck by stories of locals seeking shelter in strangers’ homes during storms — a kind of reluctant intimacy forced by Canadian winters. That tension between hospitality and vulnerability shapes the heart of the story.
“It is a realistic play — at least you can try to fight against a person who’s a danger to you,” he says. “But what do you do against the power of nature?”
The ominous, Latin phrases on the wall are no coincidence either. Ciufo was inspired by his wife’s upbringing in Clinton, Ont., where Latin was unexpectedly part of the high school curriculum.
“I really couldn’t believe it,” he says. “For whatever reason, in this high school in this rural area, the students were taught Latin.”
That detail became foundational. The farmhouse owner, Gerald Goldie, was imagined as a retired Latin teacher, a choice that opened the door to references drawn from ancient Roman culture and moral philosophy.
Playwright’s past
From aspiring novelist to successful librettist, Ciufo has brought his writing through many media. He says each form begs for something different, but that he fell in love with theatre after moving to Ontario and witnessing the lively scene there.
A Killing Snow: Nimet Kanji (left), Katherine Fadum (middle), Linda Kee (right) on set for Vertigo’s newest production. Photo by Fifth Wall Media
“I’ve been open to different writing opportunities, and I’m glad, because it’s been really enriching,” he says.
This play was first commissioned by Eric Coates for Blyth Festival and premiered on June 25, 2010.
Ciufo explains how each production is different because theatre is a world filled with creatives.
“I don’t think you can be overly prescriptive,” he says. “Each team of artists… bring a different perspective and a different approach.”
This rendition is directed by Tara Beagan, and the cast is five deep, featuring Katherine Fadum, Nimet Kanji, Linda Kee, Andrew Moodie and Bernardo Pacheco.
For all its suspense, Ciufo insists the play isn’t without moments of release.
“I think people will find it thrilling and suspenseful,” he says. “I hope they’ll also find it in spots to be quite hilarious.”
