Morris Stephen Panych (born 30 June 1952) 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,

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and actor.

Early life

Panych was born in Calgary,

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 ...

and grew up 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 ancho ...

, Alberta. He studied at

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a applied sciences institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. NAIT provides careers programs in applied research, technical training, applied education, and learning designed to meet the dema ...

, and the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Plays

*''Co$t of Living'' (1991) *'' The Ends of the Earth'' (1994) *''Vigil'' (1996) (adapted for the British stage as ''Auntie and Me'') Vigil played at the

Belfry Theatre The Belfry Theatre is a theatre and associated theatre company in the Fernwood neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The company produces contemporary theatre, with a focus on Canadian work. The theatre building is a converted ...

in Victoria, BC (15 November - 11 December 2022) and Panych is described on the playbill as one of Canada's "most prolific and idiosyncratic playwrights -- and one of the very best. I love his plays -- and his characters. So many of them approach the world with disdain and skepticism. But despite their best efforts -- they can't help finding the good in other people." This work is best described as a very funny black comedy.Playbill for Vigil at the Belfry Theatre, 15 November to 11 December 2022 *''

Lawrence & Holloman ''Lawrence & Holloman'' is a Canadian black comedy film, directed by Matthew Kowalchuk and released in 2013.Janet Smith"Lawrence & Holloman serves its comedy nihilistically black" ''The Georgia Straight'', July 16, 2014. Adapted from the theatric ...

'' *''

Girl in the Goldfish Bowl ''Girl in the Goldfish Bowl'' is a 2003 Governor General's Award-winning play by Canadian playwright Morris Panych. Set in Steveston, British Columbia in 1962, it tells the story of a young girl named Iris who believes that the world has been ...

'' (2003) *''Earshot'' *'' 7 Stories'' *''Dishwashers'' *''Still Laughing: Three Adaptations by Morris Panych'' (2009), Panych's adaptations of: **''The Government Inspector'' by Nikolai Gogol **''Hotel Peccadillo'' by Georges Feydeau and Mauric Desvallières **''The Amorous Adventures of Anatol'' by Arthur Schnitzler *''The Trespassers'' (2010) *''Gordon'' (2011) *''In Absentia'' (2012) *''The Shoplifters'' (2014) *''Sextet'' (2014) *'' The Waiting Room'' (2015) He has directed nearly one hundred theatre and opera productions, including most of his own works, and the Prix Italia nominated ''The Overcoat'', plus several music videos and ''

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 ...

''. He won the 1994 Governor General's Award for Drama for ''The Ends of the Earth'', and the 2004 Governor General's Award for Drama for ''Girl in the Goldfish Bowl''. In 2020 he created and wrote the web series '' Hey Lady!'', starring

Jayne Eastwood Jayne Eastwood (born December 17, 1946), also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is best known for her film roles as Anna-Marie Biddlecoff in the comedy film ''Finders Keepers'' (1984), Judy the Wai ...

, for

CBC Gem CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

Personal life

Openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

, Panych married his longtime partner, Ken MacDonald, in 2004.

References

External links

*
Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia entry

kenandmorris.com
Morris Panych and Ken MacDonald {{DEFAULTSORT:Panych, Morris 1952 births 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Governor General's Award-winning dramatists Living people Canadian gay writers Male actors from Calgary Male actors from Edmonton Writers from Calgary Writers from Edmonton Canadian LGBT dramatists and playwrights Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Canadian music video directors 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers