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
Live updates: What star witness in Trump hush money case has said on the stand so far
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.
Wildfire smoke drifts across Canada, over parts of U.S., prompting air quality advisories
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
'A great victory for the industry': Taxi drivers celebrate ruling that found City of Ottawa negligent in allowing Uber to operate
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Ottawa was negligent in its enforcement of the city's taxi bylaw when it allowed Uber to begin operating in 2014, harming the city's established taxi industry.