Brad Fraser (born June 28, 1959 in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

) is a Canadian

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 ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and cultural commentator.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof
"Fraser, Brad"
''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', June 2, 2019. He is one of the most widely produced Canadian playwrights both in Canada and internationally. His plays typically feature a harsh yet comical view of contemporary life in Canada, including frank depictions of sexuality, drug use and violence.

Career

Fraser's most noted early play was ''Wolf Boy'';Ray Conlogue, "Wolfboy proves a real howler". '' The Globe and Mail'', April 5, 1984. first staged in Edmonton in 1981, its 1984 production in Toronto by Theatre Passe Muraille was later noted as one of the first significant acting roles for Keanu Reeves. Fraser first came to national and international prominence as a playwright with '' Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love'', an episodically structured play about a group of thirtysomethings trying to find their way through life in Edmonton, while the city is haunted by a

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

. Written while Fraser was playwright in residence with Alberta Theatre Projects,Martin Morrow, "Playwright braced for controversy". ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The Ca ...

'', January 11, 1989. it was a hit at ATP's playRites '89, and became his national and international breakthrough. Coming three years after the 1991

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-p ...

controversy in Cincinnati, ''Poor Super Man'' inspired international headlines when the board of directors of

Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional equity theatre located at 1127 Vine Street in Cincinnati, Ohio that was founded in 1986. It is Greater Cincinnati’s second largest professional theatre, and until April 2012 was known as "Ensemble Thea ...

temporarily canceled the production because of its anticipated obscenity. After a public outcry, the production was reinstated. ''Poor Super Man'' opened without incident. Fraser also has written two films, '' Love and Human Remains'' and '' Leaving Metropolis'', which were both adaptations of his plays; Denys Arcand directed ''Love and Human Remains'', while ''Leaving Metropolis'' was Fraser's debut as a film director.Valerie Fortney, "Playwright undergoes rogue reversal: Brad Fraser's Bad Boy vitriol makes way for seasoned artistry". ''

'', October 3, 2002. He has also written for the television series ''

Queer as Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of the UK series ** ''Queer as Folk'' soundtracks, soundtrack albums from ...

''; was host of his own television talk show, ''

Jawbreaker Jawbreaker may refer to: * Gobstopper, a hard candy with multiple layers Arts and entertainment * ''Jawbreakers'' (album), an album by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Harry "Sweets" Edison * Jawbreaker (band), an American rock band * Jawbreakers (duo) ...

'', for PrideVision; and for a period of time wrote a biweekly column for the Canadian gay magazine ''

fab Fab or FAB may refer to: Commerce * Fab (brand), a frozen confectionery * Fab (website), an e-commerce design web site * The FAB Awards, a food and beverage award * FAB Link, a European electricity link * Flavoured alcoholic beverage or alcopop, ...

''. His most recent play, ''Kill Me Now'', premiered in 2014. As of 2021, two film adaptations of ''Kill Me Now'' were in development in Canada and South Korea. Richard Burnett
"The rage of Brad Fraser"
'' Fugues'', May 4, 2021. A memoir by Brad Fraser, ''All the Rage,'' was published by Doubleday Canada in May 2021.

Awards

Fraser won the Alberta Culture award for best full-length play in 1989, for ''Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love''. He is a two-time winner of the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award, in 1991 for ''Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love'' and in 1996 for ''Poor Super Man''. He won the

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

for

Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the 15th Genie Awards for ''Love and Human Remains''. Fraser won

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 ...

's ''Evening Standard Award'' for ''Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love'' in 1993. He is a two-time nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama, receiving nods at the 1995 Governor General's Awards for ''Poor Super Man'' and at the 2016 Governor General's Awards for ''Kill Me Now''.

Personal life

Fraser is openly gay, and his plays often focus on

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

storylines. In 2003 he became the executive story editor on Showtime's ''

Queer As Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of the UK series ** ''Queer as Folk'' soundtracks, soundtrack albums from ...

''.

Plays

* ''Wolfboy'' - 1981 * ''Mutants'' - 1981 * ''Rude Noises (for a Blank Generation)'' - 1982 * ''Chainsaw Love'' - 1985 * ''Young Art'' - 1987 * ''Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love'' - 1989 * ''Return of the Bride'' - 1989 * ''The Ugly Man'' - 1990 * ''Prom Night of the Living Dead'' - 1991, with Darrin Hagen * ''Poor Super Man'' - 1994 * ''Martin Yesterday'' - 1997 * '' Outrageous'' - 2000, musical with composer Joey Miller * ''Snake in Fridge'' - 2000 * ''Cold Meat Party'' - 2003 * ''True Love Lies'' - 2009Liz Nicholls, "Brad Fraser's funniest play comes home; Acclaimed playwright realizes a dream at Citadel". ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

'', April 3, 2011. * ''5 @ 50'' - 2011 * ''Kill Me Now'' - 2014

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Brad 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male screenwriters Canadian columnists Canadian gay writers 1959 births Living people LGBT film directors LGBT screenwriters Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian television talk show hosts LGBT dramatists and playwrights Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian television writers Film directors from Edmonton Writers from Edmonton Canadian memoirists LGBT memoirists 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century LGBT people