David Demchuk
Biography
David Demchuk was born and raised in Winnipeg and now lives in Toronto.
A playwright, independent filmmaker, screenwriter, essayist, critic and journalist, he has been writing for theatre, film, television, radio and other media for more than twenty years.
Writings
Theatre - Click Here
Known primarily for his work in Canadian theatre, David's plays have been produced in Toronto, New York, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Chicago, San Francisco, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in London, England.
His best-known theatrical works are Rosalie Sings Alone (Tarragon Theatre), If Betty Should Rise (Buddies in Bad Times), Touch (Buddies in Bad Times - Dora Award winner, 1986), Stay (White Queen Theatre - Dora Award nominee, 1999) and Mattachine (Proving Ground Theatre/Toronto Fringe Festival).
Radio - Click Here
An experienced radio dramatist, David has written CBC Radio adaptations of William Gibson's The Winter Market and H.G.Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau, as well as a radio series for precocious children based on the writings of Lewis Carroll, titled Alice in Cyberspace. He was also the host and creator of the influential CBC Radio music/performance series Minutes to Midnight.
Publications - Click Here
His publications include the short-fiction cycle Seven Dreams and the collected Alice in Cyberspace episodes in book form, appearances in anthologies Making, Out! (Touch) and Canadian Brash (If Betty Should Rise and Rosalie Sings Alone) and reviews, essays, interviews and columns in such magazines as Toronto Life, The Body Politic, Xtra!, What! Magazine, Cinema Canada and Prairie Fire, as well as the Toronto Star.
The first five pieces from Seven Dreams were published in Andrei Codrescu's legendary literary magazine Exquisite Corpse, and all seven were recently translated and published in Russia.
David has a continuing column titled 'Knit Like a Man' in the online magazine Knitty.
Film & Television - Click Here
David began his film career in 1980 at the Winnipeg Film Group, where he wrote and directed the short film Rushes, and wrote the script for Ed Ackerman's animated film Sarah's Dream. His work with the Winnipeg Gay Media Collective resulted in a half-hour video drama, which he wrote and directed, titled Flying South.
In 1999, David returned to filmmaking, and attended the Canadian Film Centre's Professional Screenwriting Programme (a.k.a. 'the Bootcamp'), their senior program for film and television writers.
His CBC Television-commissioned film-for-television Ghosts of Toronto and comedy series Prima Donna are currently in development.
Contact
David can be reached at by regular mail at 85 Bleecker Street, #307, Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1X1. His e-mail address is david underscore demchuk (at) hotmail dot com.