John Krizanc (born 1956) 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 established an international reputation with his

non-linear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and many other ...

work, '' Tamara''. Exploring the rise of Fascism in 1920s Italy, the play was one of the first non-linear, immersive theatre experiences. The audience followed different characters through an Italian villa, with several scenes playing simultaneously. Several real people are fictionalized in the work, including Italian war hero, journalist and poet General Gabriele D'Annuzio, Aélis Mazoyer, the mistress and housekeeper of D'Annuzio, and Polish artist

Tamara de Lempicka Tamara Łempicka (born Tamara Rosalia Gurwik-Górska; 16 May 1898 – 18 March 1980), better known as Tamara de Lempicka, was a Polish painter who spent her working life in France and the United States. She is best known for her polished Art D ...

. The New York Times called it "a shot of adrenaline for sedentary theatergoers," and praised its "thunderstruck" dialogue. Director

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

speaking at the DGA raised the play as a memorable influence on his own storytelling. After its

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 ...

production (directed by Richard Rose) won Krizanc two

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped estab ...

s in 1982, the play toured the United States, Portugal, Poland, Argentina and Mexico. Moses Znaimer produced the Hollywood production, which ran for nine years from 1984 to 1994.

Early life

Krizanc was born in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

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 ...

in 1956. He is the son of Peggy and Rene Krizanc.

Writing career

''Tamara'' premiered at Strachan House in Trinity-Bellwoods Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 8, 1981, and was published as a book the same year. Tamara was one of the first theatre productions with multi-story lines happening simultaneously where the audience's participation was key to the experience itself. As such it was the forerunner of later immersive experiences, such as those created by the British theatre company PunchDrunk, and New York's Then She Fell. The concepts it explored became the inspiration for the academic journal ''Tamara: Journal of Critical Postmodern Organization Science'', which later became ''Tamara: Journal for Critical Organization Inquiry'', which focuses on plurivocal and postmodern interpretations of several academic disciplines, including critical management studies, postmodern organization theory, and social systems theory. Krizanc's plays are marked by his explorations not only with structure and space but also with the role of the artist. For his play Prague, Krizanc won the Chalmers Award in 1985, and the

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

in 1987. Set in 1983, the play focuses on a theatre company about to mount a "dangerous" work. Inspired by the one-act plays of Vaclav Havel, it deals with the challenges of creating art in a communist country, and the role of the artist within a system of censorship. In 1990, Krizanc won the Chalmers award for his play ''The Half of It''. It tells the story of idealistic thirty-something Jill Ashe, and the intersection of capitalism and environmentalist through the travails of one family. His friendship with Canadian writer

Paul Quarrington Paul Lewis Quarrington (July 22, 1953 – January 21, 2010) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician and educator. Background Born in Toronto as the middle of three sons in the family of four of Bruce Quarrington,

became the subject of the play ''Dying is Easy''. In 1993 Krizanc began writing for the screen and television. His many writing credits include the movie ''

Men with Brooms ''Men with Brooms'' is a 2002 Canadian romantic comedy film, starring and directed by Paul Gross. Centred on the sport of curling, the offbeat comedy tells the story of a reunited curling team from a small Canadian town as they work through their ...

'', the telefilms '' H₂O'', '' The Trojan Horse'' and '' The Summit'', as well as writing for the television series ''

Da Vinci's Inquest ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...

'', ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred Pau ...

'', '' ZOS: Zone of Separation'', ''

Rookie Blue ''Rookie Blue'' is a Canadian police drama television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone. The series premiered on June 24, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 ...

'', ''

Saving Hope ''Saving Hope'' is a Canadian supernatural medical drama television series set in Toronto in the fictional hospital Hope Zion. The series stars Erica Durance and Michael Shanks. The show's premise originated with Malcolm MacRury and Morwyn Brebn ...

'', ''

Caught Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground. If the ball h ...

'' and '' Departure''. Often, he has collaborated with actor and director

Paul Gross Paul Michael Gross OC (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian actor, director, writer, producer, and musician born in Calgary, Alberta. Gross is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the popular Canadian television series ''Due So ...

Bibliography

*''Crimes of Innocence'', 1976 *''Uterine Knights'', 1979 *''Tamara'', 1981 *''Prague'', 1984 *''Desire: An Experiment in Comedy'', 1985 *''The Half of It'', 1989 (Anansi) *''The Gist'', 2000

Awards and honors

*1982,

(for ''Tamara'') *1982, Dora Mavor Moore Award (for ''Tamara'') *1985, Chalmers award (for ''Prague'') *1985, The L.A. Drama Critics Circle, (for ''Tamara'') *1986, the Drama-Logue award (for ''Tamara'') *1987 Governor General award (for ''Prague''). *1988, Gemini, for Due South. *1990, the Argentine Critic's Hugo Award (for ''Tamara'') *1990, Chalmers Award (for ''The Half of It''). *1994, Robert W Wagner Screenwriting award (for Dieppe) *1994, Golden Reel Award for best mini-series (for Dieppe). *2005, Writers Guild of Canada award for best television mini-series (for H₂O). *2010, Writers Guild of Canada award (for television series ''The Summit'') *2010, Seoul World Television Prize (for television series, ''The Summit'')

References

1956 births Living people 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male screenwriters Dora Mavor Moore Award winners Governor General's Award-winning dramatists Writers from Lethbridge Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers {{Canada-playwright-stub