Panych, Morris

Morris Panych is an award winning Vancouver playwright, actor, and director. Born in Calgary in 1952, Panych received a diploma in Radio and Television Arts from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1973 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia in 1977. He has since performed in and directed many stage productions as well as becoming a prolific writer of original plays in which he has acted, directed, and produced. His first play, Last Call - A Post-Nuclear Cabaret, was nominated for three Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Toronto). Other plays by Panych include Contagious (1984), Cheap Sentiment (1985), and Simple Folk (1987). During the early 1990's Panych wrote a series of plays for young people, including The Cost of Living (1990), and 2B WUT UR (1991). Panych was artistic director for Vancouver's Tamahnous Theatre from 1984 to 1986. Shortly thereafter, he won seven Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards for the production of his play 7 Stories (1989). Panych has received a total of fourteen Jessie awards for both acting in and directing the works of other playwrights, most notably for his direction of Sweeney Todd (2000). He has received two Governor-General's Literary Awards for Drama for his plays The Ends of the Earth (1994) and Girl in the Goldfish Bowl (2004). Panych has also been awarded three Sidney Riske Writing Awards and five Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Panych has continued to write, and six books of his plays have been published by Talon Books (Vancouver). These include, 7 Stories (1990), The Ends of the Earth (1993), Other Schools of Thought (including Life Science, 2B WUT UR, and The Cost of Living) (1994), Vigil (1997), lawrence & holloman (1998), and earshot (2001). In addition, Panych has appeared and in film and television productions. Panych has also directed television productions such as Da Vinci's Inquest filmed in Vancouver, BC.

From the description of Morris Panych fonds. 1947-2005. (University of British Columbia Library). WorldCat record id: 606456076