Jason Sherman
Encyclopedia
Jason Sherman is a Canadian
playwright
and screenwriter
.
After graduating from the creative writing program at York University
in 1985, Sherman co-founded What Publishing with Kevin Connolly
, which produced what, a literary magazine that he edited from 1985 to 1990. Before establishing himself as a dramatist, Sherman's journalistic works such as reviews, essays, and interviews appeared in various publications, including The Globe and Mail
, Canadian Theatre Review and Theatrum.
He edited two anthologies for Coach House Press, Canadian Brash (1991) and Solo (1993), and has been a playwright-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre
since 1992.
Sherman's first professional productions were A Place Like Pamela (1991) and To Cry is Not So (1991), followed by The League of Nathans (1992, published in book form in 1996), which won a Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
(1993), and was nominated for the Governor General's Award for English language drama
. Since then, Sherman has produced a series of plays, and has written for television and radio, including the CBC Radio
series Afghanada
and the television adaptation of Vincent Lam
's Giller Prize-winning story collection Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures
.
In the November 2007 issue of This Magazine
, Sherman wrote an article revealing that he was giving up his theatre work to concentrate on screenwriting, after his theatre royalties for the entire previous year produced an income of just $791.91.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
playwright
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...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
After graduating from the creative writing program at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in 1985, Sherman co-founded What Publishing with Kevin Connolly
Kevin Connolly (writer)
-Biography:Kevin Connolly is a Canadian poet, free-lance editor and critic who was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and grew up in Maple, Ontario. Connolly has served as an editor for presses such as ECW Press, House of Anansi Press and Coach House Press...
, which produced what, a literary magazine that he edited from 1985 to 1990. Before establishing himself as a dramatist, Sherman's journalistic works such as reviews, essays, and interviews appeared in various publications, including The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Canadian Theatre Review and Theatrum.
He edited two anthologies for Coach House Press, Canadian Brash (1991) and Solo (1993), and has been a playwright-in-residence at 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...
since 1992.
Sherman's first professional productions were A Place Like Pamela (1991) and To Cry is Not So (1991), followed by The League of Nathans (1992, published in book form in 1996), which won a Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Awards were a Canadian literary award, given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having at least ten performances in the Toronto area....
(1993), and was nominated for the Governor General's Award for English language drama
Governor General's Award for English language drama
This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for English-language drama. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama was divided.-1980s:*1981: Sharon Pollock, Blood Relations...
. Since then, Sherman has produced a series of plays, and has written for television and radio, including the CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
series Afghanada
Afghanada
Afghanada is an award-winning Canadian radio drama series, currently airing on CBC Radio One and Sirius Satellite Radio. The first 22 episodes of Afghanada aired from November 3, 2006 to April 6, 2007. These episodes were rebroadcast in August 2007. CBC is currently broadcasting the show's fifth...
and the television adaptation of Vincent Lam
Vincent Lam
Vincent Lam is a Canadian writer and medical doctor.Born in London, Ontario and raised in Ottawa, his parents came to Canada from the Chinese expatriate community in Vietnam. He attended St. Pius X High School and did his medical training at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1999...
's Giller Prize-winning story collection Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a short story collection by Vincent Lam, published in 2006. The book, inspired by Lam's own experiences in medical school and as a professional physician, is a volume of interconnected short stories about the lives and relationships of Fitzgerald, Ming, Chen and...
.
In the November 2007 issue of This Magazine
This Magazine
This Magazine is an independent alternative Canadian political magazine. It was launched "by a gang of school activists" in 1966 as This Magazine is About Schools, a journal covering political issues in the education system...
, Sherman wrote an article revealing that he was giving up his theatre work to concentrate on screenwriting, after his theatre royalties for the entire previous year produced an income of just $791.91.
Works
- A Place Like Pamela (1991)
- To Cry is Not So (1991)
- The League of Nathans (1992)
- What the Russians Say (1993)
- Field (1993)
- The Merchant of Showboat (1993)
- Three in the Back, Two in the Head (1994)
- Reading Hebron (1995)
- The Retreat (1996)
- None is Too Many (1997)
- Patience (1998)
- It's All True (1999)
- An Acre of Time (1999/2000)
- AfghanadaAfghanadaAfghanada is an award-winning Canadian radio drama series, currently airing on CBC Radio One and Sirius Satellite Radio. The first 22 episodes of Afghanada aired from November 3, 2006 to April 6, 2007. These episodes were rebroadcast in August 2007. CBC is currently broadcasting the show's fifth...
(2006) - Bloodletting & Miraculous CuresBloodletting & Miraculous CuresBloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a short story collection by Vincent Lam, published in 2006. The book, inspired by Lam's own experiences in medical school and as a professional physician, is a volume of interconnected short stories about the lives and relationships of Fitzgerald, Ming, Chen and...
(2010)