Richard Greenblatt (born 1953) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
who currently lives in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
. He is best known for ''
2 Pianos, 4 Hands
''Two Pianos Four Hands'', also referred to as ''2 Pianos 4 Hands'', is a Canadian musical comedy play, written and originally performed by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. It follows Ted and Richard, two boys who aspire to become famous cla ...
'', which he wrote and performed with
Ted Dykstra.
Early life
Greenblatt was born in 1953 in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
, to a secular
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish family.
His parents were active Communists
until 1956, when they left the party after
Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev st ...
's
Secret Speech
"On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" (russian: «О культе личности и его последствиях», «''O kul'te lichnosti i yego posledstviyakh''»), popularly known as the "Secret Speech" (russian: секре ...
. He is the brother of
Lewis Furey
Lewis Furey, born Lewis Greenblatt (born 7 June 1949) is a Canadian composer, singer, violinist, pianist, actor and director.
Career
Born in Montreal, Quebec to French and American parents, Furey trained as a classical violinist, and at age 11 ...
, musician, actor & director.
Greenblatt attended
Dawson College
Dawson College (French: ''Collège Dawson)'' is an English-language public general and vocational college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately 12 acres ...
. He later trained at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. In 1975 he returned to Canada and began his theatrical career.
Works
*''Soft Pedalling'' (1981)
*''The Theory of Relatives'' (1994, co-written with
Daniel Brooks,
Diane Flacks
Diane Flacks is a Canadian comedic actress, screenwriter and playwright.
Early life and education
Flacks was raised in the Jewish faith. Her early education took place in Jewish parochial schools. Flacks studied drama at Leah Posluns Institu ...
,
Leah Cherniak, Leslie Lester, and Allan Merovitz)
*''
2 Pianos, 4 Hands
''Two Pianos Four Hands'', also referred to as ''2 Pianos 4 Hands'', is a Canadian musical comedy play, written and originally performed by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. It follows Ted and Richard, two boys who aspire to become famous cla ...
'' (1994)
*''Sibs'' (2000)
*''
Letters From Lehrer'' (2006)
Personal life
Greenblatt was married to director/writer
Kate Lushington. The two have three children: Natasha, William, and Luke.
See also
*
List of Canadian writers
This is a list of Canadian literary figures, including poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars.
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*
List of Canadian playwrights
References
External links
Profile from Canadian Theatre Encyclopaedia
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
1953 births
Living people
Jewish Canadian writers
Dawson College alumni
Jewish Canadian male actors
Alumni of RADA
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
Male actors from Montreal
Writers from Montreal
20th-century Canadian male writers
21st-century Canadian male writers
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