Richard Greenblatt (born 1953) 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 currently lives in

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 ...

. He is best known for '' 2 Pianos, 4 Hands'', which he wrote and performed with

Ted Dykstra Ted Dykstra is a Canadian playwright and actor. He was born in Chatham-Kent, Ontario in 1961 and grew up in St. Albert, Alberta. He is a founding member of Soulpepper Theatre Company. Writing credits include '' Two Pianos Four Hands'', '' ...

Early life

Greenblatt was born in 1953 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 ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, to a secular

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish family. His parents were active Communists until 1956, when they left the party after

Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and Premier of the Soviet Union, chairm ...

Secret Speech "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" (russian: «О культе личности и его последствиях», «''O kul'te lichnosti i yego posledstviyakh''»), popularly known as the "Secret Speech" (russian: секре ...

. He is the brother of

Lewis Furey Lewis Furey, born Lewis Greenblatt (born 7 June 1949) is a Canadian composer, singer, violinist, pianist, actor and director. Career Born in Montreal, Quebec to French and American parents, Furey trained as a classical violinist, and at age 11 ...

, musician, actor & director. Greenblatt attended

Dawson College Dawson College (French: ''Collège Dawson)'' is an English-language public general and vocational college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately 12 acre ...

. He later trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In 1975 he returned to Canada and began his theatrical career.

Works

*''Soft Pedalling'' (1981) *''The Theory of Relatives'' (1994, co-written with

Daniel Brooks Daniel Brooks (born 23 June 1958) is a Canadian theatre director, actor and playwright. He is well known in the Toronto theatre scene for his innovative productions and script-writing collaborations. Early life Brooks was born in Toronto, Ontari ...

Diane Flacks Diane Flacks is a Canadian comedic actress, screenwriter and playwright. Early life and education Flacks was raised in the Jewish faith. Her early education took place in Jewish parochial schools. Flacks studied drama at Leah Posluns Institu ...

Leah Cherniak Leah Cherniak (born 1956) is a Canadian playwright, actor, and teacher. She is a co-founder of Theatre Columbus (now called Common Boots). Early life and education Cherniak graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in 1979. She later s ...

, Leslie Lester, and Allan Merovitz) *'' 2 Pianos, 4 Hands'' (1994) *''Sibs'' (2000) *''

Letters From Lehrer ''Letters from Lehrer'' is a play written by Canadian playwright Richard Greenblatt, and performed by him at CanStage, from 16 January to 25 February 2006. It follows Tom Lehrer Thomas Andrew Lehrer (; born April 9, 1928) is an American form ...

'' (2006)

Personal life

Greenblatt was married to director/writer

Kate Lushington Kate Lushington is a Canadian theatre artist and teacher. From 1988 to 1993, Lushington was the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre. Lushington has worked with The Clichettes and is the writer of ''The Apocalypse Plays: A Legacy Project''. E ...

. The two have three children: Natasha, William, and Luke.

References

External links

Profile from Canadian Theatre Encyclopaedia
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 1953 births Living people Jewish Canadian writers Dawson College alumni Jewish Canadian male actors Alumni of RADA Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Male actors from Montreal Writers from Montreal 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers {{Canada-playwright-stub

Early life

Works

Personal life

See also

References

External links