Elliott Hayes

Infobox Writer
name = Elliott Hayes


caption =
birthdate = June 22, 1956
birthplace = Stratford, Ontario
deathdate = death_date_and_age|1994|2|22|1956|6|22
deathplace = Fairview, Ontario
occupation = Playwright
nationality = Canadian
genre = plays, poetry
notableworks =

Elliott Hayes (June 22, 1956 - February 22, 1994) a rising Canadian playwright born in Stratford, Ontario, June 22, 1956 was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver February 22, 1994 just outside of Stratford,Ontario on his way home to the family farm where he wrote many of his plays.

Elliott Hayes was born into a theatrical family, the grandson of classical actor George Hayes, and the son of John Sullivan Hayes, one of the original company members of the Stratford Festival who was also instrumental in the planning and organization of 27 consecutive seasons there, (The Stratford Festival of Canada Conservatory an outgrowth of the John Sullivan Hayes Programme for Theatre Training was named in his honor) and JoAnn (Elliott) Hayes who was instrumental in conserving the historic Stratford City Hall and was a founding member of Gallery Stratford. Hayes was surrounded in his childhood by the likes of Duke Ellington, Ravi Shankar and Robertson Davies , all friends of his family.

A graduate of the Old Vic Theatre School (Bristol) Elliott worked in Hollywood for several years before returning to Canada in 1981 where he served as the Stratford Festival's literary manager, dramaturge and occasional lyricist and assistant director until his death.The Elliott Hayes Award a prize in Dramaturgy given by The Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the America's was created in his honor.His career was brief but produced several important works, including short stories, novels, poems and plays, the most notable being Homeward Bound which has been presented to resounding success internationally (premiering at Stratford in 1991).

Other plays include: Blake (with music by Loreena McKennitt , Stratford, 1983), Happily Ever After (Solar Stage, 1993), Hard Hearts (Oldcastle Theatre, Bennington, Vermont, 1993), Life on Mars (Solar Stage, 1993), World of Wonders (adapted from Robertson Davies , Stratford, directed by Richard Rose , 1992). [ [http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Hayes%2C%20Elliott Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia ] ]

His works:

* Blake, 1983
* World of Wonders (adapted from the novel by Robertson Davies), 1992
* Happily Ever After, 1993
* Hard Hearts, 1993
* Life on Mars, 1993
* Homeward Bound, 1991

His most successful play Homeward Bound was noted by author Margaret Atwood as “a brisk, intricate, and tightly-strung play with a lot of laughter”. It received its world debut at the Stratford Festival and has since been widely produced in Canada and the United States. [ [http://www.goliveto.ca/golive/detail/143 goliveTO ] ] [ [http://www.alumnaetheatre.com/homeward.html Homeward Bound ] ] [ [http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsH/hayes-elliott.html Elliott Hayes - complete guide to the Playwright and Plays ] ] [ [http://www.seemagazine.com/Issues/2003/0327/stage3.htm SEE Magazine: March 27, 2003 ] ]

References