Hannah Moscovitch
Encyclopedia
Hannah Moscovitch is a Canadian playwright
. She is best known for her plays East of Berlin, Essay, and The Russian Play.
neighbourhood. Her father, Allan Moscovitch, is a social policy professor at Carleton University
. Her mother is a labour researcher. Both have long been active in left wing politics. Moscovitch's father is Jewish of Romanian
and Ukrainian
descent and her mother is of English and Irish ancestry; at age eighteen, Moscovitch travelled to the Golan Heights and spent four months living in a Kibbutz
.
She enrolled in the National Theatre School in the acting stream. One of her student works, Cigarettes and Tricia Truman, won enough notice to be workshopped at Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company
. After graduation Moscovitch moved to Toronto where she waitered at the Teatro restaurant on College Street and studied literature at the University of Toronto
, while continuing to work on plays.
She gained considerable notice for two short plays written for Toronto's SummerWorks. In 2005 she presented Essay, a play about gender politics in modern academia. The next year at the festival The Russian Play premiered, a romance set in Stalinist Russia. Both were well received by critics and audiences. In 2007 her first full length play, East of Berlin, premiered at the Tarragon Theatre
. The play focuses on the legacy of the Holocaust on the children of those involved. The main character is the son of a Nazi war criminal who grows up in Paraguay
. He eventually travels to Berlin
and meets the daughter of an Auschwitz survivor. The play was acclaimed for its complex subject, humour, and characters and was also a popular success, returning to Tarragon in winter 2009 and 2010.
In March 2009, "In This World" was produced by Montreal's Youtheatre. The play, addressed to a teenage audience, deals with violence and sexual and racial politics.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. She is best known for her plays East of Berlin, Essay, and The Russian Play.
Life and career
Today based in Toronto, she was raised in Ottawa's GlebeThe Glebe
The Glebe is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located just south of Ottawa's downtown area, with its northern border being demarcated by the Queensway highway. It is bounded by the Rideau Canal to the south and east. Many maps show the western edge as Bronson Avenue, but some also...
neighbourhood. Her father, Allan Moscovitch, is a social policy professor at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
. Her mother is a labour researcher. Both have long been active in left wing politics. Moscovitch's father is Jewish of Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
and Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
descent and her mother is of English and Irish ancestry; at age eighteen, Moscovitch travelled to the Golan Heights and spent four months living in a Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
.
She enrolled in the National Theatre School in the acting stream. One of her student works, Cigarettes and Tricia Truman, won enough notice to be workshopped at Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company
Great Canadian Theatre Company
The Great Canadian Theatre Company, known for short as GCTC, is a professional theatre company based in Ottawa, Canada. It was established in 1975. The company specialises in the production of Canadian plays....
. After graduation Moscovitch moved to Toronto where she waitered at the Teatro restaurant on College Street and studied literature at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, while continuing to work on plays.
She gained considerable notice for two short plays written for Toronto's SummerWorks. In 2005 she presented Essay, a play about gender politics in modern academia. The next year at the festival The Russian Play premiered, a romance set in Stalinist Russia. Both were well received by critics and audiences. In 2007 her first full length play, East of Berlin, premiered at the Tarragon Theatre
Tarragon Theatre
The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country. Located near Casa Loma, the theatre was founded by Bill and Jane Glassco in 1970. Bill was the Artistic Director from 1971 to 1982. In 1982, Urjo Kareda took over as...
. The play focuses on the legacy of the Holocaust on the children of those involved. The main character is the son of a Nazi war criminal who grows up in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. He eventually travels to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and meets the daughter of an Auschwitz survivor. The play was acclaimed for its complex subject, humour, and characters and was also a popular success, returning to Tarragon in winter 2009 and 2010.
In March 2009, "In This World" was produced by Montreal's Youtheatre. The play, addressed to a teenage audience, deals with violence and sexual and racial politics.
External links
- "Moscovitch is already famous" Toronto Star Oct 20, 2007
- "Hannah Moscovitch: Playwright revisits the production that set her career in motion" NOW Magazine January 16, 2008
- "Hannah Moscovitch: Hit factory The Globe and Mail. January 13, 2009