NOTL actress and environmental enthusiast Tara Rosling is gearing up for this year's performance of “The Mistletoe Bride” — an event she says has become a Niagara-on-the-Lake tradition since its inception in 2014.

Dubbed the “almost seventh annual” presentation due to COVID stopping it for a year, “The Mistletoe Bride” will return to Silversmith Brewery in Virgil on Dec. 20 and 21 at 7 p.m.

Rosling, who also operates the environmentally focused Little Green Shop, said the show is “a ghost story, a solstice story, a Christmas story, a right of passage story and a tale of folklore.”

“It is relevant, poignant, deeply mysterious and compelling, and the scene is set superbly by Silversmith as they dim the lights and stop serving for the duration of the reading.”

Rosling said the event was “born out of an artistic love affair” between herself and well-known Canadian director Peter Hinton.

In 2012, the two had worked together for the first time on a play called “When the Rain Stops Falling” at the Shaw Festival.

“We had a mutual respect and admiration for each other's work,” Rosling said.

“In 2014, we decided to collaborate on a project simply because we wanted to work together. Peter sent me some scripts, one of which was 'The Mistletoe Bride,' a short story written by Jeanette Winterson. I loved it. So we rehearsed together when we could find time and space, and decided to share the piece with those who were interested in attending.”

The whole show is about 20 minutes long, she said, and is not appropriate for children.

She said Silversmith is “the perfect venue” for the production.

It is a “pay what you can” event and all proceeds will be donated to Gillian’s Place women‘s shelter — a decision that was inspired by themes within the play, Rosling said. A donation box will be passed around after the reading.

Rosling said Gillian's Place is an “incredibly important organization” to her.

“(It's) a shelter for women as well as mothers and children who are trying to leave abusive domestic situations, and as upsetting as it is, domestic abuse has risen during the pandemic. So they need all the help that we can give.”

She said the show has proven popular in town and to date has raised more than $6,000 to help women.

Tickets to the show are available at eventbrite.ca.

Anyone who wishes to attend is encouraged to arrive early and grab a pint of local ale and a bite to eat before the show.

Seats will only be available to fully vaccinated individuals.