ROM Speaks: Kristallnacht, "The Night of Broken Glass" with Saul Rubinek and Seana McKenna

On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 7 p.m., the Royal Ontario Museum hosts a one-night-only performance by two of Canada's most respected actors, Saul Rubinek and Seana McKenna, to commemorate Kristallnacht.

Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass," took place on November 9 and 10, 1938, when Nazi-led mobs across Germany, Austria and beyond burned, vandalized and ransacked Jewish shops, homes, businesses and synagogues. It is widely seen as the start of the Nazis' systematic attempt to annihilate Europe's Jewish population.

Rubinek and McKenna will perform a dramatic reading from an original theatrical work, using Kristallnacht as a frame for a larger question: how prejudice escalates into persecution, and why remembrance remains a critical act of resistance. Through vivid storytelling, they explore the choices ordinary people make in extraordinary times, and the role individuals play in confronting hatred, exclusion and discrimination. Falling on the anniversary itself, the evening should be both moving and urgent.

It is also a preview of sorts. Rubinek returns to the Stratford Festival in 2027 to star in three productions, The Merchant of Venice, Playing Shylock and his own original work All in the Telling, in which McKenna, a longtime Stratford leading actor, will co-star. This is a rare chance to see the two together on a Toronto stage first.

After the performance there is a reception with the artists, plus access to the Dr. Fred Weinberg and Joy Cherry Weinberg Judaica Gallery at the ROM.

Practical notes: tickets are $40. The ROM is at 100 Queen's Park, directly above Museum station on Line 1 and a short walk from St. George and Bay stations on Line 2. Evening events usually use the Bloor Street entrance; check your ticket for details. Seating for one-night ROM Speaks events is limited, so book early. Green P parking is available nearby on Bedford Road.