Norm Foster

Ed Mullaly (University of New Brunswick, Fredericton)
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Norm Foster (b. 1949) is generally recognized as Canada's most produced playwright. In a

Globe and Mail

article, theatre commentator Richard Ouzounian linked the Fredericton writer with Alan Ayckbourn (England) and Neil Simon (United States) as the three most talked-about playwrights of their respective countries. Significantly, producers, especially of summer stock, now speak about “doing a Norm Foster” just as they used to talk about “doing a Neil Simon”. Foster's humour does indeed contain echoes of the plot-driven comedies of Simon and Ayckbourn, but his writing also reflects the work of comic, character-driven playwrights such as Woody Allen and television comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, combining the virtues of traditional stage plays with those of popular electronic…

1185 words

Citation: Mullaly, Ed. "Norm Foster". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 April 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5318, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5318 Norm Foster 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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