Robert Chafe (born 1971)[1] is a Canadian playwright and actor based in St. John's. He is the author of seventeen stage scripts and co-author of another eight.[2] His play Afterimage won the Governor General's Award for English language drama at the 2010 Governor General's Awards.[3] He was previously nominated for the same award at the 2004 Governor General's Awards for his plays Butler's Marsh and Tempting Providence.
Robert Chafe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Occupation | playwright |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Period | 2000s-present |
| Notable works | Afterimage, Butler's Marsh, Tempting Providence |
His other plays have included Place of First Light (cowritten with Sean Panting),[4] Charismatic Death Scenes,[1] Belly Up,[1] Emptygirl,[4] Oil and Water,[4] Isle des Demons,[5] Lemons,[5] One Foot Wet,[5] Signals,[5] Under Wraps[5] and Vive La Rose.[5] Belly Up was also published in the Breakwater Book of Contemporary Newfoundland Plays: Volume 3.[6] In 2016, he published a book of short stories, Two-Man Tent. He has won numerous Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Awards, and was named 1998 Emerging Artist of the Year by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.[4]
In 2018, Memorial University of Newfoundland awarded Chafe the degree of doctor of letters honoris causa “for his major contribution to Newfoundland theatre and culture.”[7]
Chafe has acted, both on stage and in the 2006 television miniseries Above and Beyond.[1] When Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland was formed in 1995, Chafe was an original cast member and, since 2000, has served as Artistic Director. Some of his first performances with Artistic Fraud were in the shows In Your Dreams, Freud; The Cheat; Jesus Christ Superstar; and Great Big Stick.[8]
In 2022 Chafe collaborated with Scott Jones on I Forgive You, a play about the aftermath of Jones being left paraplegic by an anti-gay attack in 2013.[9] Following the play's publication in book form, Chafe and Jones received a nomination for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama at the 2024 Governor General's Awards.[10]
Early and personal life
editChafe is from Petty Harbour, Newfoundland. While there he attended Goulds elementary, McPherson Jr High and Bishops College. He and his three brothers were raised by William Robert Chafe (Petty Harbour, NL) who worked in the construction industry and Elizabeth Pynn (Carpoon, NL) who was a homemaker. He worked for his father's construction company until he was eighteen years old before joining the Elysian Theatre Company. He is openly gay.[11]
Bibliography
editPlays
edit- Tempting Providence (2002)
- Isle of Demons (2004)
- Afterimage (2010)
- Fear of Flight (2010)
- Oil and Water (2011)
- Under Wraps (2014)
- The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (2015)
- Between Breaths (2018)
Short stories
edit- Two-Man Tent (2016)
References
edit- ^ a b c d Robert Chafe. Waterfront Views: Contemporary Writing of Atlantic Canada.
- ^ "Creative Team". Artistic Fraud. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ "Regina's Dianne Warren wins Gov-Gen Award for ‘Cool Water’". The Globe and Mail, November 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Robert Chafe at the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
- ^ a b c d e f Robert Chafe Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine at doollee.com.
- ^ "The Breakwater Book of Contemporary Newfoundland Plays Volume Three (print) – Playwrights Canada Press". www.playwrightscanada.com. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ "Playwright Robert Chafe to be awarded honorary doctorate at Memorial University convocation | The Western Star". www.thewesternstar.com. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ "History". Artistic Fraud. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ "After finding a way to forgive his attacker, this man helped create a play about it". CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador, August 21, 2022.
- ^ Cassandra Drudi, "Canisia Lubrin, Danny Ramadan among 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award finalists". Quill & Quire, October 8, 2024.
- ^ "You're Not From Here: Place and Identity in Newfoundland Drama". Michael Devine, Acadia University.