Native American Authors

Tomson Highway, 1951-

Cree

Tomson Highway was born in 1951, in northwest Manitoba, Canada. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music (with honors) from the University of Western Ontario, in 1975 and a B.A. in English from the same University in 1977. Highway is known for his plays which depict life on the reservation. He is the president of Native Earth Performing Arts, a professional Native American theater company in Toronto. He has served as producer, actor, stage manager and playwright. His Native Earth Performing Arts company is dedicated to the development of Native dramatic art.

Awards and Honors

Chalmers Award, 1986
Dora Mavor Moore Award, 1987-88

Online resources by or about Tomson Highway:

Tomson Highway
Author: Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Type: authorbio
Description: Highway’s entry in the online Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. Includes photo.

URL:

Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskaking
Author: Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal
Type: authorbio
Description: This site includes information about Highway’s “Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskaking” (the second part of the trilogy started by “The Rez Sisters”), as well as a biography of Highway, an interview with Highway, a review of the play, and an excerpt from the play.

URL: http://www.playwrightsworkshop.org/drylips.html

Portrait: Tomson Highway
Author: Fred Favel
Type: authorbio
Description: Portrait of Highway, from the November/December 1998 issue of “Tradition”, an Indian and Northern Affairs Canada publication.

URL: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ks/english/6305_e.html

Scarborough Philharmonic: Ancestral Voices: Tomson Highway
Author: Scarborough Philharmonic
Type: authorbio
Description: Bio of Highway provided in conjunction with a Scarborough Philharmonic performance of composer Barbara Croall’s “Caribou Song”, which was based on the story by Highway.

URL: http://www.scar.utoronto.ca/~sue/ancestral/pieces/highway.html

The Story Teller: Tomson Highway
Author: Duncan McKeough
Type: authorbio
Description: A multi-part special feature on Highway from the CBC and InfoCulture Magazine.

URL: http://www.infoculture.cbc.ca/archives/special_coverage/special_coverage_tomsonhighway.html

Tomson Highway in TV spotlight
Author: John Coulbourn
Type: authorbio
Description: Review of a “Life & Times” episode about Highway from CANOE’s Jam! TV Reviews.

URL: http://www.canoe.ca/JamMoviesArtistsH/highway_thomson.html

Books by Tomson Highway:

Highway, Tomson. Dry lips oughta move to Kapuskasing : a play
Saskatoon : Fifth House, 1989.
Genre: Drama
Audience: Adult
ISBN: 0920079555

Highway, Tomson. Kiss of the fur queen
Toronto : Doubleday Canada, 1998.
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Adult
ISBN: 0385256523

Highway, Tomson. The rez sisters : a play in two acts
Saskatoon : Fifth House, 1988.
Genre: Drama
Audience: Adult
ISBN: 092007944x