Norman Foster, (born February 14, 1949) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

, considered to be Canada's most produced playwright. Foster discovered his talents as a playwright in

Fredericton, New Brunswick Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

, while he was working as host of a popular morning radio show. He accompanied a friend (Peter Spurway) to an audition, and landed his first acting job, as Elwood P. Dowd in ''Harvey'', without ever having even seen a play. Intrigued with the theatre, he set his pen to paper and wrote his first play titled ''Sinners''. In 1983 and 1984, Theatre New Brunswick mounted the first professional productions of ''Sinners'' and Foster's next play ''The Melville Boys''. In the years following, TNB introduced ''My Darling Judith'' (1987), ''The Affections of May'' (1990), ''The Motor Trade'' (1991), ''Wrong for Each Other'' (1992), and ''Office Hours'' (1996). An extremely prolific writer, Foster has written more than 65 comedic plays for the stage. Other well-known plays include ''The Love List'', ''The Long Weekend''; ''Bedtime Stories''; ''Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun''; ''Storm Warning''; ''Skin Flick''; ''Outlaw''; ''Hilda's Yard''; ''On A First Name Basis''; ''Old Love''; ''Mending Fences,'' ''Here on the Flight Path, The Foursome and The Ladies Foursome''. Frequently compared to American playwright

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

, Foster pens plays that are known for their humour, accessibility, and insight into the everyday tribulations of life. Foster's work is frequently produced by theatre groups across North America, and as far away from his home in Canada as Australia. Beginning in June 2016, The Norm Foster Theatre Festival in St. Catharines, Ontario celebrated the work of this Canadian playwright. The Playwrights Guild of Canada awarded him lifetime membership in 2016. In December 2016, Foster was named an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 2018, he was awarded the key to the city in St. Catharines, Ontario. He also acts, often in his own work. For example, he appears as Jonas in some productions of Jonas & Barry in the Home.

References

* 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Living people 1949 births People from Newmarket, Ontario Writers from Ontario Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Officers of the Order of Canada {{Playwright-stub