Michael Lewis MacLennan (born June 5, 1968) is a Canadian playwright, television writer and television producer,"Canadians in the closet". The Globe and Mail, April 5, 2003. best known as a writer and producer of television series such as Queer as Folk and Bomb Girls.
As a playwright he is a two-time nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama, and the only playwright to win the Herman Voaden Playwriting Competition twice.
Career Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, MacLennan began his career as a stage actor."Overlooked gem deserves full houses". Victoria Times-Colonist, April 17, 1994. In his first theatre role at age 13, he was cast to play a woman, and later in his career he produced a short performance piece about his fear at the time that his parents would see the play and realize that he was gay."Coming out inside". Victoria Times-Colonist, August 6, 1995. He moved to Victoria in 1986 to study English at the University of Victoria."Musing on a Queer Career". Victoria Times-Colonist, July 2, 2003.
His first full-length play, Beat the Sunset, premiered at the Victoria Fringe Festival in 1993."AIDS drama one of Victorians' best ever". Victoria Times-Colonist, December 2, 1993. It was later staged in Vancouver in 1995,"Sunset is best when its colors are subtle". Vancouver Sun, May 6, 1995. winning MacLennan a Jessie Award for outstanding emerging playwright"Winners waltz twice with Jessie awards". The Province, June 12, 1995. and the Theatrum National Playwriting Competition."Cruise-ship boors inspire playwright". Victoria Times-Colonist, February 22, 1995.
His second play, Leaning Over Railings, premiered in 1995. His 1996 Grace won the Theatre BC National Playwriting Competition,"Victoria playwright wins national award". Victoria Times-Colonist, September 25, 1996. and has been produced across Canada and internationally. During this era, he also wrote a number of short one-act plays, including Wake No Clocks"Art gallery marks AIDS Day". Victoria Times-Colonist, December 1, 1993. and Come On!."Gay plays ring true for straights, too". Vancouver Sun, July 3, 1997.
He then began to study screenwriting at the Canadian Film Centre, although he continued to write plays during this time."Shooting Stage's young talents hit target: Ambitious, complex production is by turns funny, disturbing". Vancouver Sun, April 24, 2001. He won the Herman Voaden Playwrighting Competition in 1998 for his play The Shooting Stage,"What happens when the Shaw meets gay theatre?: The result is a Winter Fling". National Post, December 11, 1999. and in 2001 for Last Romantics."Voaden playwriting winners announced". Kingston Whig-Standard, June 9, 2001. Both plays were later nominated for the Governor General's Award for English drama, The Shooting Stage at the 2002 Governor General's Awards"Mistry sidelined by Canada's literati: Lesser-known writers nominated for Governor General's Literary Awards". Ottawa Citizen, October 22, 2002. and Last Romantics at the 2003 Governor General's Awards."Literary award short list reveals quirky choices; Governor General picks are mostly unexpected titles Awards veteran Margaret Atwood still makes the cut". Toronto Star, October 21, 2003.
He began his television career as writer and story editor for Sullivan Entertainment's television series Wind at My Back, Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series and Super Rupert. He then became a writer and co-executive producer on Queer as Folk, writing 14 episodes over four seasons."Queer fear". Victoria Times-Colonist, March 21, 2005. Concurrently with the final season of Queer as Folk, he co-created and produced the Citytv dramedy series Godiva's in 2005."CHUM makes a deal with the devil for homegrown drama". The Globe and Mail, June 2, 2004.
In 2006, he created a theatrical adaptation of Douglas Coupland's novel Life After God,"Changing their city from backdrop to star". The Globe and Mail, October 30, 2006. resulting in Coupland inviting him to write and coproduce the television series adaptation of Coupland's novel jPod."CBC has a winner in jPod". Toronto Star, January 8, 2008.
He was cocreator and executive producer of Bomb Girls, which premiered in 2011."'Making pies to making bombs'; Drama looks at lives of women during wartime". National Post, December 29, 2011.
His other credits as a writer and producer have included The Guard, Being Erica, Flashpoint, Bitten and The Fosters.
Plays Beat the Sunset () Grace The Shooting Stage () Last Romantics () Life After God
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