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Biography

Labeled as “unquestionably Canada’s best young people’s playwright” by the Children’s Literature Journal, Dennis Foon was Artistic Director of Vancouver’s acclaimed Green Thumb Theatre for 12 years, where he produced a body of plays that continue to be produced internationally in numerous languages.

His work in television and film has rivaled his success in theatre. His award winning screenplays include Little Criminals, White Lies, Torso, Terry, the acclaimed drama on Terry Fox, A Shine of Rainbows, starring Aidan Quinn, and Life Above All, which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

He began writing novels for young adults with Double or Nothing in 2000, followed by the critically acclaimed Skud. The Longlight Legacy, his fantasy/sci-fi trilogy has been published in Dutch, German, Russian and French language editions.

Book types: YA fiction, playwrights, others

Guest speaker/presentation information

Presentation geographic range: Vancouver, Coast, Lower Mainland, Gulf and Vancouver Islands, Thompson Okanagan, Northern British Columbia, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Kootenay Rockies, The Territories, Canada - beyond BC, USA

Presentation audience age groups: grades 7-8, high school, college/university/adult

Published work

Kindness (Play) Dramatic Publishing
The Keeper’s Shadow (Novel) Annick Press
Freewalker (Novel) Annick Press,
The Dirt Eaters (Novel) Annick Press
Skud (Novel) Groundwood Books
Double or Nothing (Novel) Annick Press
Chasing the Money, (play) Blizzard Publishing
The Short Tree and the Bird that Could Not Sing (The Play) Blizzard, 1998
Little Criminals (screenplay) Blizzard Publishing
War (play) Blizzard Publishing
Seesaw Blizzard Publishing
Mirror Game (play) Playwrights Press
New Canadian Kid & Invisible Kids (plays) Playwrights Press
Skin & Liars (plays) Playwrights Press
The Short Tree and the Bird That Could Not Sing (picturebook) Groundwood Illustrated by John Bianchi
Am I the Only One? A Child's Book on Sexual Abuse
(with Brenda Knight) Douglas and McIntyre
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (play) - Playwrights Press
Trummi Kaput (play) - Canadian Theatre Review 37,
The Windigo (play) Talonbooks
Heracles(play) - Talonbooks
Raft Baby (play) Talonbooks
The Last Days of Paul Bunyan/The Windigo (plays) Playwrights Press

Awards & recognition

AATA Distinguished Play Award, "Kindness" 2009
Red Maple Honor Book “The Dirt Eaters” 2004
Sheila A. Egoff Award (BC Book Prize) “Skud” 2004
Writers Guild of Canada: Top Ten Award “Torso” 2003
Robert Wagner Award, best screenplay, “White Lies” Columbus Int’l TV Festival 1998
Career Achievement Award, Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance 1998
Gemini Award, best writing in a Dramatic Program “Little Criminals” 1997
Writers Guild of Canada: Top Ten Award “Little Criminals” 1997
British Columbia Film Award “Leo” for best screenplay “Little Criminals” 1996
Chalmers Award for "The Short Tree" 1995
Scott Newman Award for "Maggie's Secret" 1990
AYA (International Arts for Young Audiences) Award, 1989
Chalmers Award, 1987, for "Skin"
British Theatre Award, 1986, for "Invisible Kids"
CBC Literary Award for "The Short Tree and the Bird That Could Not Sing."
Hopwood Award, Fiction.
Writers Digest Award