Tomson Highway

Tomson Highway, CM (born December 6, 1951) is a Cree playwright, novelist, and children's author from Brochet, Manitoba. He is the celebrated author of the plays "The Rez Sisters" and "Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing", both of which won him the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Floyd S. Chalmers Award. "The Rez Sisters" became a smash hit across Canada and went on to the Edinburgh International Festival in 1988. Both of these plays focus on the native community on a reservation in Lake Superior, with "The Rez Sisters" depicting (in a somewhat abstract style) the women of the community planning a trip to the biggest bingo game ever, in Toronto; while "Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing" depicts (in a more abstract style) the men's interest in hockey. "Rose", written in 2000, is the third play in the trilogy.

Highway has also published a novel, "Kiss of the Fur Queen" (1998), which is based on the events that led to his brother René Highway’s death of AIDS.

He is related to actor/playwight Billy Merasty. He was artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto. He obtained his B.A. in Music in 1975 and his B.A. in English in 1977, both from the University of Western Ontario. Highway holds three honorary degrees and in 1994 became a member of the Order of Canada.

In 2000, "Maclean's" named him as one of the 100 most important people in Canadian history. Cree is his first language.

Plays

*"A Ridiculous Spectacle in One Act" - 1985
*"New Song...New Dance" - 1986
*"Aria" - 1987
*"The Rez Sisters" - first produced 1986; toured nationally 1988 (nominated for a Governor General's Award; won Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Play 1986-87)
*"Annie and the Old One" - 1989
*"The Sage, the Dancer, and The Fool" - 1989
*"Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing" - 1989 (nominated for a Governor General's Award; won 4 Dora Mavor Moore Awards including Best New Play; won Floyd S. Chalmers Award)
*"The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito" - 1991
*"Rose" - 2000
*"Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout" - 2005

Novels

*"Kiss of the Fur Queen" - 1998 (shortlisted for the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Canadian Booksellers' Association Fiction Book of the Year Award)

Children's books

*"Caribou Song" - 2001 (selected as one of the "Top 10 Children’s Books" by Canadian newspaper "The Globe and Mail")
*"Dragonfly Kites" - 2002
*"Fox on the Ice" - 2003

External links

* [http://www.electriques.ca/filles/artistes.e/h/highway_to.php Biography at "Les filles électriques"]
* [http://biography.jrank.org/pages/4418/Highway-Tomson.html Tomson Highway Biography]

ee also

*List of Canadian writers