David West Read is a Canadian television writer,

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 ...

, and producer. He is known for writing for the television series

Schitt's Creek ''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread over six seasons. Produced by ...

as well as author of the stage musical ''

& Juliet ''& Juliet'' is a 2019 coming-of-age stage musical featuring the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin, with a book by David West Read. The story focuses on a "what if" scenario, where Juliet does not die at the end of Shakespeare's '' ...

''. He has received a Golden Globes and Emmy for his work as a producer and writer on Schitt's Creek.

Early life and education

Read was born in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 1983. He grew up in

Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

and attended the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

as an undergraduate. He graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

in 2010 with a Master's degree in

dramatic writing Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

Career

In 2012, Read's second play '' The Performers'' opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, marking it as the first time since 1984 that a Canadian playwright opened a show on Broadway that wasn't a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

. Read wrote ''& Juliet'', a stage musical with the premise that Juliet Capulet of

Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' survived at the end of the tragedy. The play opened on West End in 2019 and in Toronto in 2022. It will open on Broadway in 2022 and in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 2023. Read worked as Executive Producer and writer on

, and his work was acknowledged with an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2020. In 2021, Apple TV announced that David West Read would adapt ''The Big Door Prize'', a novel by M.O. Walsh, into a series.

Works

Theatre

* ''The Dream of the Burning Boy'', 2011 * '' The Performers'', 2012 * ''Afterlove'', 2015 * ''

'', 2019

TV

* ''

The Big Door Prize ''The Big Door Prize'' is an American comedy television series based on the book of the same name by M.O. Walsh that premiered on Apple TV+ on March 29, 2023. In April 2023, the series was renewed for a second season. The second season is schedu ...

Awards

David West Read won an Emmy for Schitt's Creek in 2020 as Executive Director for Outstanding Comedy Series. He also won a Golden Globe for Schitt's Creek in 2021, for Best Musical/Comedy Series.

References

1983 births Living people 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Canadian male screenwriters Canadian television writers Writers from Toronto University of Toronto alumni New York University alumni {{Canada-playwright-stub