Michael MacLennan
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Michael Lewis MacLennan (born June 5, 1968) is a Canadian playwright, television writer and television producer,<ref>"Canadians in the closet". The Globe and Mail, April 5, 2003.</ref> best known as a writer and producer of television series such as Queer as Folk and Bomb Girls.
As a playwright he is a two-time nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama, and the only playwright to win the Herman Voaden Playwriting Competition twice.
CareerEdit
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, MacLennan began his career as a stage actor.<ref>"Overlooked gem deserves full houses". Victoria Times-Colonist, April 17, 1994.</ref> In his first theatre role at age 13, he was cast to play a woman, and later in his career he produced a short performance piece about his fear at the time that his parents would see the play and realize that he was gay.<ref>"Coming out inside". Victoria Times-Colonist, August 6, 1995.</ref> He moved to Victoria in 1986 to study English at the University of Victoria.<ref name=queercareer>"Musing on a Queer Career". Victoria Times-Colonist, July 2, 2003.</ref>
His first full-length play, Beat the Sunset, premiered at the Victoria Fringe Festival in 1993.<ref>"AIDS drama one of Victorians' best ever". Victoria Times-Colonist, December 2, 1993.</ref> It was later staged in Vancouver in 1995,<ref>"Sunset is best when its colors are subtle". Vancouver Sun, May 6, 1995.</ref> winning MacLennan a Jessie Award for outstanding emerging playwright<ref>"Winners waltz twice with Jessie awards". The Province, June 12, 1995.</ref> and the Theatrum National Playwriting Competition.<ref name=cruise>"Cruise-ship boors inspire playwright". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 22, 1995.</ref>
His second play, Leaning Over Railings, premiered in 1995.<ref name=cruise/> His 1996 Grace won the Theatre BC National Playwriting Competition,<ref>"Victoria playwright wins national award". Victoria Times-Colonist, September 25, 1996.</ref> and has been produced across Canada and internationally. During this era, he also wrote a number of short one-act plays, including Wake No Clocks<ref>"Art gallery marks AIDS Day". Victoria Times-Colonist, December 1, 1993.</ref> and Come On!.<ref>"Gay plays ring true for straights, too". Vancouver Sun, July 3, 1997.</ref>
He then began to study screenwriting at the Canadian Film Centre,<ref name=queercareer/> although he continued to write plays during this time.<ref>"Shooting Stage's young talents hit target: Ambitious, complex production is by turns funny, disturbing". Vancouver Sun, April 24, 2001.</ref> He won the Herman Voaden Playwrighting Competition in 1998 for his play The Shooting Stage,<ref>"What happens when the Shaw meets gay theatre?: The result is a Winter Fling". National Post, December 11, 1999.</ref> and in 2001 for Last Romantics.<ref>"Voaden playwriting winners announced". Kingston Whig-Standard, June 9, 2001.</ref> Both plays were later nominated for the Governor General's Award for English drama, The Shooting Stage at the 2002 Governor General's Awards<ref>"Mistry sidelined by Canada's literati: Lesser-known writers nominated for Governor General's Literary Awards". Ottawa Citizen, October 22, 2002.</ref> and Last Romantics at the 2003 Governor General's Awards.<ref>"Literary award short list reveals quirky choices; Governor General picks are mostly unexpected titles Awards veteran Margaret Atwood still makes the cut". Toronto Star, October 21, 2003.</ref>
He began his television career as writer and story editor for Sullivan Entertainment's television series Wind at My Back, Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series and Super Rupert.<ref name=queercareer/> He then became a writer and co-executive producer on Queer as Folk, writing 14 episodes over four seasons.<ref>"Queer fear". Victoria Times-Colonist, March 21, 2005.</ref> Concurrently with the final season of Queer as Folk, he co-created and produced the Citytv dramedy series Godiva's in 2005.<ref>"CHUM makes a deal with the devil for homegrown drama". The Globe and Mail, June 2, 2004.</ref>
In 2006, he created a theatrical adaptation of Douglas Coupland's novel Life After God,<ref>"Changing their city from backdrop to star". The Globe and Mail, October 30, 2006.</ref> resulting in Coupland inviting him to write and coproduce the television series adaptation of Coupland's novel jPod.<ref>"CBC has a winner in jPod". Toronto Star, January 8, 2008.</ref>
He was cocreator and executive producer of Bomb Girls, which premiered in 2011.<ref>"'Making pies to making bombs'; Drama looks at lives of women during wartime". National Post, December 29, 2011.</ref>
His other credits as a writer and producer have included The Guard, Being Erica, Flashpoint, Bitten and The Fosters.
PlaysEdit
- Beat the Sunset (Template:ISBN)
- Grace
- The Shooting Stage (Template:ISBN)
- Last Romantics (Template:ISBN)
- Life After God
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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