DANIEL MACDONALD

ST. PAUL'S WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE

I have been a writer all my life. OK, at least since the 6th grade when, after attending a play at the college where my dad taught, I went home and wrote a complete rip off of it.  A couple of days later I brought it to school and organized a reading of it in my classroom. Sister Anna, wherever you are, bless your dear heart for letting me take some class time to make it happen. And Dad, wherever you are, thanks for making the copies of my play for my actors (mimeograph stencils anyone??). My brother and I had a little neighbourhood theatre company with other boys when we were eleven and twelve. I wrote a play called Yolanda And The King - very Sesame Street derivative. It was a huge hit among the kids and moms of the neighbourhood. Pretty sure that was the pinnacle of my writing career. 

 

While I've dabbled in poetry, film, and fiction (I'm currently working on a novel...really), the work that has continued to move me to create is almost always in theatre. That eleven year old boy never stopped being a playwright. In addition, as a theatre director and huge advocate for new writing, I spend a lot of amazing time with other writers helping them unearth and nurture their own work.

 

But I'm also an educator (B.Ed and M.Ed). I taught high school (and university classes) for about 20 years. In all I have four degrees, an MFA in theatre and a B.A. in philosophy. For all of the “grown up” writing I’ve done, I'm most proud of my work with students in writing and creating plays for young people both as a teacher and theatre artist.

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I came into the position as writer-in-residence at St. Paul’s a bit by accident. And now, here I am. It is one of the great privileges of my life to be able to share art and stories with the patients and staff at St. Paul's Hospital as a way to help people heal through the true art of story-telling; to bring the “art” into healing through the arts. I am the father of four scrumptious children (two grown up ones and two young ones). I love sports but my knees don’t, so I swim, golf, and play Mario Cart....with my eight year old.