Governor General's Award for English-language drama
{{Short description|Canadian literary award}}
The Governor General's Award for English-language drama honours excellence in Canadian English-language playwriting. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry or drama was divided.
Because the award is presented for plays published in print, a play's eligibility for the award can sometimes be several years later than its eligibility for awards, such as the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play or the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award, which are based on the theatrical staging."Plays at the G-Gs: better late than never". The Globe and Mail, October 22, 2005. Titles which compile several works by the playwright into a single volume may also be nominated for or win the award.
Winners and nominees
=1980s=
=1990s =
class="wikitable" width="100%"
|+Governor General's Award for English-language drama honorees, 1990-1999 !Year !width="45%"|Author !width="45%"|Title !Ref. |
align="center" rowspan="4"| 1990
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Ann-Marie MacDonald | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) | Philip Marchand, "Toronto's Nino Ricci wins top book prize". Toronto Star, January 23, 1991. |
align="center" | Audrey Butler
| align="center" | Black Friday? | rowspan=3| "Prominent names among nominees". Windsor Star, November 17, 1990. |
align="center" | John Mighton
| align="center" | Scientific Americans |
align="center" | George F. Walker
| align="center" | Love and Anger |
align="center" rowspan="5"| 1991
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Joan MacLeod | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Amigo's Blue Guitar | "First novel earns top literary honor". Windsor Star, December 4, 1991. |
align="center" | Sally Clark
| align="center" | The Trial of Judith K. | rowspan=4| "Atwood leads G-G Award nominees". Hamilton Spectator, November 9, 1991. |
align="center" | Don Druick
| align="center" | Where Is Kabuki? |
align="center" | Linda Griffiths
| align="center" | The Darling Family |
align="center" | Daniel David Moses
| align="center" | Coyote City |
align="center" rowspan="5"| 1992
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| John Mighton | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Possible Worlds and A Short History of Night | Mark Abley, "Ondaatje wins Governor-General's Award, denounces GST in speech". Montreal Gazette, December 2, 1992. |
align="center" | Daniel Brooks, Guillermo Verdecchia
| align="center" | The Noam Chomsky Lectures | rowspan=4| Jamie Portman, "Three from Ottawa area among finalists". Ottawa Citizen, November 6, 1992. |
align="center" | Dave Carley
| align="center" | Writing With Our Feet |
align="center" | Judith Thompson
| align="center" | Lion in the Streets |
align="center" | Dianne Warren
| align="center" | Serpent in the Night Sky |
align="center" rowspan="4"| 1993
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Guillermo Verdecchia | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Fronteras Americanas | "This time, Stone Diaries on top: Governor General's award atones for loss in Booker". Windsor Star, November 17, 1993. |
align="center" | Daniel MacIvor
| align="center" | House Humans | rowspan=3| "Shields in running for Governor General Award; Nomination comes just after Booker Prize loss". Halifax Daily News, October 29, 1993. |
align="center" | Raymond Storey
| align="center" | The Saints and Apostles |
align="center" | David Young
| align="center" | Glenn |
align="center" rowspan="4"| 1994
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Morris Panych | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| The Ends of the Earth | John Geddes, "Wiebe wins Canada's heart with love of history". Financial Post, November 19, 1994. |
align="center" | Joanna McClelland Glass
| align="center" | If We Are Women | rowspan=3| Conway Daly, "Munro, Atwood lead familiar names in race for Governor General's award". Kingston Whig-Standard, October 28, 1994. |
align="center" | Wendy Lill
| align="center" | All Fall Down |
align="center" | Bryden MacDonald
| align="center" | Whale Riding Weather |
align="center" rowspan="5"| 1995
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Jason Sherman | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Three in the Back, Two in the Head | "Writer's Roaring success: Greg Hollingshead wins Governor-General's Award for fiction". Vancouver Sun, November 15, 1995. |
align="center" | Brad Fraser
| align="center" | Poor Super Man | rowspan=4| "68 finalists for literary awards". Vancouver Sun, October 27, 1995. |
align="center" | Deborah Kimmett
| align="center" | Miracle Mother |
align="center" | Joan MacLeod
| align="center" | The Hope Slide/Little Sister |
align="center" | Eugene Stickland
| align="center" | Some Assembly Required |
align="center" rowspan="5"| 1996
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Colleen Wagner | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| The Monument | Philip Marchand, "Vanderhaeghe wins second fiction prize". Toronto Star, November 13, 1996. |
align="center" | Wendy Lill
| align="center" | The Glace Bay Miners' Museum | rowspan=4| Judy Stoffman, "It's Atwood ahead again in book race". Toronto Star, October 18, 1996. |
align="center" | John Mighton
| align="center" | The Little Years |
align="center" | Michael O'Brien
| align="center" | Mad Boy Chronicle |
align="center" | Betty Quan
| align="center" | Mother Tongue |
align="center" rowspan="5"| 1997
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Ian Ross | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| fareWel | Robert Reid, "Jane Urquhart wins Governor General's Award for fiction". Waterloo Region Record, November 19, 1997. |
align="center" | Maureen Hunter
| align="center" | Atlantis | rowspan=4| Paul Gessell, "Urquhart, Hay nominated for Governor General's prize". St. Catharines Standard, October 23, 1997. |
align="center" | Lee MacDougall
| align="center" | High Life |
align="center" | Jason Sherman
| align="center" | Reading Hebron |
align="center" | Judith Thompson
| align="center" | Sled |
align="center" rowspan="5"| 1998
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Djanet Sears | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Harlem Duet | Anne-Marie Tobin, "Kingston author savours literary award". Kingston Whig-Standard, November 18, 1998. |
align="center" | Bruce McManus
| align="center" | Selkirk Avenue | rowspan=4| "Montrealers deluge list of nominees". Montreal Gazette, October 21, 1998. |
align="center" | Richard Sanger
| align="center" | Not Spain |
align="center" | Sandra Shamas
| align="center" | Sandra Shamas: A Trilogy of Performances |
align="center" | David Young
| align="center" | Inexpressible Island |
align="center" rowspan="5"| 1999
| align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| Michael Healey | align="center" style="background:#FAEB86"| The Drawer Boy | "Matt Cohen, Marq de Villiers win GG literary awards". The Western Star, November 17, 1999. |
align="center" | Wendy Lill
| align="center" | Corker | rowspan=4| "Governor General's Award nominees: Clarkson hands them out Nov. 16". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, October 24, 1999. |
align="center" | Daniel MacIvor
| align="center" | Marion Bridge |
align="center" | Colleen Murphy
| align="center" | Beating Heart Cadaver |
align="center" | Theresa Tova
| align="center" | Still the Night |
=2000s =
=2010s=
=2020s=
Multiple winners and nominees
= 2 Wins =
- Catherine Banks
- John Mighton
- Colleen Murphy
- Morris Panych
- Sharon Pollock
- Jordan Tannahill
- Judith Thompson
- George F. Walker
= 6 Nominations =
- Judith Thompson (2 wins)
= 5 Nominations =
- Robert Chafe (1 win)
- Daniel MacIvor (1 win)
- Jason Sherman (1 win)
= 4 Nominations =
- Wendy Lill
- Michael Healey (1 win)
- John Mighton (2 wins)
- Jordan Tannahill (2 wins)
- George F. Walker (2 wins)
= 3 Nominations =
- Joan MacLeod (1 win)
- Hannah Moscovitch (1 win)
- Colleen Murphy (2 wins)
- Morris Panych (2 wins)
- Sharon Pollock (2 wins)
- Donna-Michelle St. Bernard
= 2 Nominations =
- Catherine Banks (2 wins)
- Daniel Brooks (both with cowriters)
- Marjorie Chan
- Anna Chatterton (consecutive, 1 with cowriters)
- Marie Clements
- Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman
- Don Druick
- Brad Fraser
- Linda Griffiths
- Tomson Highway (consecutive)
- Karen Hines
- Maureen Hunter
- Anosh Irani
- Lawrence Jeffrey
- Hiro Kanagawa (1 win)
- John Krizanc (1 win)
- Kevin Loring (1 win)
- Bryden MacDonald
- Michael MacLennon (consecutive)
- Richard Sanger
- Erin Shields (1 win)
- Vern Thiessen (1 win)
- Guillermo Verdecchia (consecutive, 1 win)
- David Yee (1 win)
- David Young
Drew Hayden Taylor and Anosh Irani have also both been nominated for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction.
James Reaney won the award three times before Poetry and Drama were split in 1981 into separate categories.
Mishka Lavigne is the first person to be nominated for both the English and French language awards for Drama.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Governor General's Literary Awards}}
Category:Awards established in 1981
Category:1981 establishments in Canada