Tastemaker: Playwright Jason Maghanoy

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting playwright Jason Maghanoy, you’d find it rather hard to believe that such a dapper young gent could come up with the plots for some of the most twisted tales we’ve ever seen acted out on stage, like last summer’s revenge fantasy, Ally & Kev. Maghanoy consistently proves that all a memorable play requires is amazing dialogue, gifted actors and a killer director. After all, a truly talented playwright shouldn’t need to rely on working with over-the-top props and complicated sets to get his vision across to the audience. Maghanoy’s plays have been published by the Canadian Theatre Review, as well as Scirocco Press, and they have been nominated for three MECCA Awards (Montreal), and have won the Uprising National Playwriting Competition (Throat) and Write-On-Q Playwriting Competition (Hangman). His play, Heart, is the winner of the 2013 Mario Fratti-Fred Newman Political Playwriting Contest in New York City, and will be read in Toronto on July 9th, and in New York City on September 30th (directed by Theatre legend, Woodie King Jr.).

Give us a snippet about you. What should people know?
A playwright, socialite, social butterfly and butterfly, all wrapped in a playwright… But in all seriousness. I’m a playwright. I graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada, was a member of the Banff Playwrights Colony and am short-listed for the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwriting Fellowship at Juilliard this year. My plays have been professionally produced in Montreal, Toronto and Japan, and featured as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival, the Wildside Theatre Festival (Montreal), the Next Stage Theatre Festival, and the SummerWorks Performance Festival. I’m also really nice (sometimes).

Finish this sentence: I love Toronto because…
…of its diversity. Its arts scene. The fact that I can get Korean fast food, an Old Fashioned and a banana split on the same night… at the same place.

What are three things you simply cannot live without?
My iPhone. My iPhone charger. A navy blazer (because there are pockets where I can keep my iPhone.) Oh, and a girl named Stephanie. She’s really cool, you know?

What’s your favourite restaurant and why?
Before we get into restaurants I just want to say I was at Get Well and Churchill the other night and I think you should meet me at both those places tomorrow night because they’re the best…. Okay. Food – I have a few favourites for different reasons: Bar Isabel because that place is like my home away from home; Enoteca Sociale for dates; Yours Truly if I want to splurge (most likely on a date); Oddseoul for something casual (again, probably on a date); Terroni because my date really likes pizza.

What’s your favourite drink/cocktail and where do you go to get it?
I’m a member of the Toronto Temperance Society so… anything I drink there. I’m also a fan of the $5 Tacate at Oddseoul (though they’ve replaced it with Keystone Light, and well… that’s good, too).

Who’s your favourite designer/brand and why do you sport their fashions?
I kinda look like I fell out of the Club Monaco look-book (men’s and women’s fashion). I also dream that I’m Alexander Wang and that’s always the best dream ever.

Let’s get social for a mo’. How can people stay up-to-date with all your city-trotting?
Facebook, Instagram and my website. I specialize in photos of groups because it’s always nice to spend time with large groups of people.