Lance Gerard Woolaver (born 1948) is a Canadian author,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

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 ...

, lyricist, and director. His best-known works include books, film and biographical plays about Canadian folk artist

Maud Lewis Maud Kathleen Lewis (née Dowley; March 7, 1903 – July 30, 1970) was a Canadian folk artist from Nova Scotia. She lived most of her life in poverty in a small house in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia. She achieved national recognition in 1964 and 196 ...

, including ''Maud Lewis The Heart on the Door,'' and ''Maud Lewis - World Without Shadows''. His plays include one about international singer

Portia White Portia May White (June 24, 1911February 13, 1968) was a Canadian contralto, known for becoming the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Growing up as part of her father's church choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia, White ...

, who was born in Nova Scotia: ''Portia White - First You Dream''.

Biography

Early life

Woolaver was born in

Digby County, Nova Scotia Digby County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History It was named after the Township of Digby; this was named in honour of Rear Admiral Robert Digby, who dispatched HMS ''Atalanta'' to convey Loyalists from New York City ...

, in 1948. He attended

Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early ...

and Dalhousie universities in Nova Scotia, and the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris. As a child, Woolaver had seen Maud and Everett Lewis, and their tiny painted house. He noticed tourists stopping to buy paintings, but kept his distance from these local characters. However, he was later inspired to pitch an article on

to ''

Chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: * Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. *Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...

'' magazine. The article was accepted on the condition that Woolaver co-write it with a female author. He wrote with his mother, and the resulting article, "The Joyful Art of Maud Lewis," published in December 1975, was purchased for $700, a sum he considered "a fortune" at the time. This enabled and encouraged him to devote time to writing. He later wrote a book and two plays about Maud Lewis. Woolaver published earlier stories in the 1970s in Canadian literary magazines, including the '' Wascana Review'' (which ceased publication in 2012) and ''

The Fiddlehead ''The Fiddlehead'' is a Canadian literary magazine, published four times annually at the University of New Brunswick. It is the oldest Canadian literary magazine which is still in circulation. History and profile ''The Fiddlehead'' was establis ...

''.

Marriage and family

Woolaver lives in Halifax with his wife, Martha (Spencer) of

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. They married in 1967, and have two children, and two grandchildren. Woolaver enjoys flyfishing in the Canadian Rockies, and on the

Margaree River The Margaree River (''Abhainn Mhargaraidh'') is a river on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The northeast branch of the river derives from the watershed of the Cape Breton Highlands, while the Southwest Margaree flows northeast from Lake Ainslie ...

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

Literary career

Woolaver wrote the book ''The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis'' (1996), with photographs by Bob Brooks. It was awarded the Dartmouth Book Award and the Atlantic Booksellers Award. It was adapted as a film of the same name (with screenplay by Woolaver) that aired on Canadian VisionTV in 1998. The film was directed by Peter d'Entremont and produced by Triad Film Productions and the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

.''The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis''
Triad Film Productions Woolaver's play ''Maud Lewis - World Without Shadows'' has been produced by professional and community theatres, including

Neptune Theatre (Halifax) The Neptune Theatre is the largest professional theatre company in Atlantic Canada with a capacity of 458 and is located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It performs a mixture of new and classical plays. It is named after the play Théâ ...

, King’s Theatre of

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal, formerly known as Port Royal, is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Today's Annapolis Royal is the second French settlement known by the same name and should not be confused with the n ...

and Ship’s Company Theatre of

Parrsboro Parrsboro is a community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada. A regional service centre for southern Cumberland County, the community is also known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions, and t ...

in Nova Scotia, and the

Blyth Festival Blyth Festival, is a theatrical festival, located in the village of Blyth, Ontario, Canada, which specializes in the production and promotion of Canadian plays. In addition, the Festival acts as a resource for local groups and makes its facilities ...

of Ontario. It was also adapted and produced as a

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

national broadcast. His play ''The Poor Farm,'' was produced at the Chester Playhouse under the direction of Christopher Heide of

Mahone Bay Mahone Bay is a bay on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada along the eastern end of Lunenburg County. The bay has many islands, and is a popular sailing area. Since 2003 the Mahone Islands Conservation Association has been working to prot ...

. It was the first play in Nova Scotia to engage actors of

Mi’kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

, White, Black and

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

heritage in the same production. It dealt with the politics of poverty and the system of provincial poor farms. Woolaver's collection of Christmas songs, ''The Noel Cantata,'' was recently produced in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. His young adult novel ''The Outlaw League'' (1991) was adapted for film, and he wrote the screenplay. Based in his hometown, it was shot in Restigouche,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. It was produced in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

as ''La Gang des Hors la Loi''; it won the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Reel to Real Film Festival in 2015. His play ''Portia White - First You Dream,'' about

, a Nova Scotia native and Canada's first black singer to win international acclaim, has been produced by several theaters, including the Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. His newest novel, ''The Halflife of Evil'', will be published by Spencer Books in June 2018. It is about Maud Lewis, the provincial Poor Farm, and the policies of imprisonment of the poor.

Maud Lewis

Woolaver is best known for his works on the life and art of

. He wrote a picture book of Maud’s life, ''The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis'' (1996), with photographs of Maud and her works by Bob Brooks. It has been in continuous print since being published. The cover image of Maud Lewis in the sunny corner of her tiny house has been recognized as a classic portrait, said to rank with the work of

Yousuf Karsh Yousuf Karsh, FRPS (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. An Armenian ...

. ''Maud Lewis - World Without Shadows,'' his play about Maud Lewis and her husband Everett Lewis, has been produced across Canada and broadcast by CBC radio. It tells of Maud’s struggle against

juvenile rheumatoid arthritis Juvenile may refer to: *Juvenile status, or minor (law), prior to adulthood * Juvenile (organism) *Juvenile (rapper) (born 1975), American rapper * ''Juvenile'' (2000 film), Japanese film * ''Juvenile'' (2017 film) *Juvenile (greyhounds), a greyh ...

, and triumph as an artist, despite poverty. Canadian actor Nicola Lipman played Maud to great acclaim in the 1990s Ship’s Company Theatre and Neptune Theatre productions. His play ''The Return of Her Child'' deals with issues related to the adoption of Maud Lewis's daughter Catherine by Mamie Crosby. Woolaver's recent full biography, ''Maud Lewis The Heart on the Door'' (2016), features another Brooks' portrait of the artist, taken in 1965, in which Lewis appears frightened and fearful. This is appropriate to the darker tone of this work, as Woolaver explores many issues in her life. His account contrasts also with the portrayal of Lewis in the independent feature drama film, '' Maudie''.

''The Outlaw League'' / ''La Gang des Hors la Loi''

''The Outlaw League'' (1991) is a

young adult novel Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

, which Woolaver set in his home town of Digby, Nova Scotia. It explores the role of baseball in bringing the people of the village together. Woolaver refers to childhood friends in his book, and to former Digby baseball teams, including the Digby Ravens, the Bear River Blue Sox, and the Freeport Schooners. The novel was adapted as a 2014 film, ''La Gang des Hors la Loi'', produced by

Rock Demers Rock Demers, (December 11, 1933August 17, 2021) was a Canadian film producer. He was the founder of the film company ''Les Productions la Fête'' and produced the '' Tales for All'' film series for children. Early life Demers was born in Saint ...

of Productions La Fete, from a script by

André Melançon André Melançon (February 18, 1942 - August 23, 2016) was a Canadian actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for directing and writing several installments in the Tales for All series of children's films. Career The versatile André M ...

, Jean Beaudry, and Woolaver.

Honours and awards

*2003, ''Maud Lewis - World Without Shadows'' won the Merritt Award as Nova Scotia’s outstanding play.

Books

Woolaver wrote the following: *''Maud Lewis The Heart on the Door'' (2016), Spencer Books, *''The Poor Farm'' (1999), Charles Press, *with Bob Brooks, photographer. ''Maud's Country : Landscapes that Inspired the Art of Maud Lewis'' (1999),

Nimbus Publishing Nimbus Publishing is a publishing company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The company specializes in subjects relevant to the Atlantic Provinces. Until 2016, the company published an average of 35 to 40 new titles a year, but expanded its outpu ...

, , oclc=40534718 *with Bob Brooks, photographer. ''Christmas with Maud Lewis'' (1997),

Goose Lane Editions Goose Lane Editions is a Canadian book publishing company founded in 1954 in Fredericton, New Brunswick as Fiddlehead Poetry Books by Fred Cogswell and a group of students and faculty from the University of New Brunswick associated with ''The Fid ...

, , oclc=37491578 *with Bob Brooks, and Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. ''The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis'' (1996),

, , oclc=37519347 *with George Dillon Woolaver. ''Lance Gerard Woolaver's World Without Shadows'' (1996), Stage Hand, , oclc=35942224 *with John Burden. ''The Outlaw League'' (1991), Nimbus Publishing, , oclc=22812322 *''The Metallic Sparrow'' (1991), Nimbus Publishing, , oclc=26852160 *with Anna Gamble. ''Change of Tide'' (1982), Nimbus Publishing, , oclc=158998785 *with Maud Lewis. ''Christmas with the Rural Mail : a poem'' (1979), Nimbus Publishing, , oclc=9750720 *with Maud Lewis. ''From Ben Loman to the Sea : a poem'' (1979), Nimbus Publishing, , oclc=10707547

Plays

His plays include the following: *''Brindley Town : a two-hander in three acts'' (2000),

Gaspereau Press Gaspereau Press is a Canadian book publishing company, based in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Established in 1997 by Andrew Steeves and Gary Dunfield, the company's philosophy emphasizes "making books that reinstate the importance of the book as a phy ...

, Wolfville, NS *''The Poor Farm'' *''Lord Strange'' *''Maud Lewis - World Without Shadows'' (1996) *''Portia White - First You Dream'' *''Evelyn Richardson - The Keeping of Lights'' *''Kenny Paul''

Children's books

His children's books include the following: *''Duck, Duck and Duck'' *''The Humble Mumbles'' *''Christmas with the Rural Mail'' *''From Ben Loman to the Sea'' *with Anna Gamble, ''Change of Tide'' ' *with Lee Tanner, ''Mr. Christmas'' *with Lee Tanner, ''Darwin''

Libretto

''The Heart on the Door''

Songs

''Noel Cantata'', with Notteroy Church, Norway

Scripts

His film screenplays and radio scripts include the following: *''The Poor Farms'', Radio Documentary (with Ron Foley MacDonald) *''The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis'' (1998) *''Maud Lewis - The Heart on the Door'' *''The Outlaw League'' (produced as ''La Gang des Hors-la-Loi'') *''The Noggins''

References

External links

Author Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Woolaver, Lance 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Dalhousie University alumni Acadia University alumni University of Paris alumni 1948 births Living people Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers