Canadian (
Cree)
playwright,
author,
musician, and all-around
shit-disturber extraordinaire. Born in
Manitoba, he spent several years training as a concert pianist before falling into
Canadian theatre. He currently resides in
Toronto where he continues to write spellbinding plays and make people in the
service industry uncomfortable with risque repartee.
His works bind words to the beauty, horror, and eventual optimism inherent in native culture. Highway's two best-known plays are
The Rez Sisters, all about the dreams and fears of seven women on a fictitious
reserve on
Manitoulin Island, and its flip-side sequel,
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, which features seven males and their dreams. Both won the
Dora Mavor Moore Award. Somehow he manages to include the most horrible
violence and the most
uplifting scenes of
beauty within the space of
five mintues. His first
novel,
Kiss of the Fur Queen, was nominated for
the Giller Prize.
Favourite quote: "There wasn't a dry thigh in the house." -
on opening night of Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing