Montreal playwright David Fennario dies at 76
Montreal playwright David Fennario has died at the age of 76, his son, Tom, has confirmed.
Best known for the 1979 play Balconville, Fennario died Saturday at noon at the Montreal General Hospital with his family by his side.
Fennario grew up in Montreal but was even more rooted in his origins in Verdun, "a localer," at his core, said Tom.
"I wouldn't even describe him as a Montrealer, I would describe it as like a Verduner with maybe honourary citizenship to Pointe-Saint-Charles."
"He just really loved these communities and where he came from, and that's where he ended his days, pretty much," Tom said.Undated photo of David Fennario, submitted by son, Tom.
His work reflected the neighbourhoods' working-class character, a way to give a voice to those who might struggle to make ends meet but who lived lives rich with humour and heart.
"He saw, like, people who are underrepresented, you know, going back to like, the 70s. I think he saw that where he came from, was not represented in the arts. I'm talking sort of, Irish, Francophone working class in the southwest.
"I think he realized like hey, I can provide a voice to people who need to be celebrated who deserve to be celebrated. And that's what he did," Tom said.
Fennario could present as a gruff man, Tom said, and that was a part of him.
"But he also legitimately cared about people and the welfare of people, and the state of the world," Tom said.
'EAR FOR TRUE DIALOGUE'
Fennario was appointed as the first playwright-in-residence at Montreal's famed English-speaking Centaur Theater where many of his works premiered. He became one of Canada's best-known playwrights. Balconville, billed as the country's first bilingual play, was performed across North America.
Montreal film and theatre director Guy Sprung, another accomplished Canadian artist, directed Fennario's second play, Nothing to Lose, in 1976 at Centaur Theatre -- before directing the premiere of Balconville, Fennario's fourth play.
He echoes Tom's memories about a man who wrote about what he knew and brought to life the people he most wanted to honour in the characters he created on stage.
The play Nothing to Lose was set in a tavern during a wildcat strike when "the boys" would come in for a beer.
"It was a slice of working-class realism. What David has as a writer is this ear for true dialogue. I mean, not just you know, the working class but nailing the character, individual characters, how they speak, the rhythm, the word choice and so on," Sprung recounted. Fennario, he says, was "poetic."
That also meant he could be an exacting overseer. It was not unusual for there to be rewrites when during rehearsal, Fennario could hear that a line sounded a little off, or not true enough.
"He'd immediately change the line, alter it or whatever. So it was it was nerve-wracking for the actors," Sprung said with a smile.
"And of course, his politics were the main thing about him, right, he was proud of his working-class origins, and that's what he was always fighting for," Sprung says.David Fennario and wife Elizabeth Johansen on their balcony. Photo taken in the late 70's by Charles Larson. Source: To, Fennario
Tom also remembers his father being outspoken about all manner of injustices, well before the topics were a common part of the public conversation.
"I remember during the 1990 Oka crisis, asking my dad, I was only like nine years old, and I remember asking my dad, like, what's going on?"
"I remember him being, here's why they're pissed off [the Mohawk community of Kanesatake], you know, they were repressed and they had their land stolen from them because of imperialism and like, colonialism and capitalism … I feel like now we talk about these things … but my dad was ahead of the grid," Tom said.
With the help of his family, he never stopped fighting, never stopped being driven by dramaturgy, Sprung says. Even while dealing with an illness for many years, he wrote a play and worked on a documentary.
"We'll all miss him," said Sprung. It's the loss of his energy and his commitment…and it's huge."
David Fennario is survived by his wife Elizabeth, and sons Tom, Joel and Joey.
A public memorial will be held at a later date, his family said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
NDP house leader laments 'agents of chaos' in precarious Parliament
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Jury begins deliberations in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
Here's what the jury didn't hear in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
2 dead after fire rips through historic building in Old Montreal
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday morning, sources told Noovo Info.
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.