Drew Haydon Taylor

Drew Haydon Taylor is an Indigenous playwright, broadcaster, writer, and humorist. Born on July 1, 1962 in Curve Lake First Nation (near Peterborough, Ontario, Canada), Taylor has become a leading Indigenous playwright and his award-winning plays have been produced in Canada, the USA, and Europe. Drew Haydon Taylor studied radio and television broadcasting at Seneca College in Toronto, and graduated in 1982. He worked as an Indigenous affairs reporter for the CBC after graduation and wrote many articles for various magazines and newspapers.

Drew Haydon Taylor’s playwriting career began with the Indigenous theater company, De-Ba-Jeh-Mu-Jig Theatre Group on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. Over the next few years, Taylor wrote Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock (1989), The Bootlegger Blues (1990), and Someday (1991), a trio of plays centered around Indigenous culture and identity. Taylor served as the playwright-in-residence for Toronto’s Native Earth Performing Arts Inc from 1988-1989, and as artistic director from 1994 - 1997. Some of Taylor’s other notable plays include The Boy in the Treehouse (2000), In a World Created by a Drunken God (2006), and Cottagers and Indians (2018).

In addition to his theatrical works, Taylor has written numerous scripts for television including The Beachcombers, North of 60, and Mixed Blessings. He has also worked on over 17 documentaries about the Indigenous experience. Taylor has published several books, articles, and essays. His novels have been nominated for several major awards, including the Governor General’s Award for fiction. Drew Haydon Taylor is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award (2012).