John Stark (actor)

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John Starcevic, known by the stage name John Stark, is a Canadian stage actor and producer most noted for his long-running one-man show which he performed in character as writer Stephen Leacock. [1] Originally from Rossland, British Columbia, he is an alumnus of Simon Fraser University, [2] He began performing as Leacock in the 1970s, and toured the show extensively throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. [3] His show was also filmed for broadcast by CBC Television and PBS; his performance at the National Arts Centre was recorded for release on Tapestry Records in 1981, [3] and received a Juno Award nomination for Comedy Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1982. [4]

In the 1980s, Stark moved into film production, trying for over ten years to produce a historical drama film about the Doukhobors. [5] His other film projects included a television film of Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town , [6] and the theatrical films Chekhov and Maria and A Play on Words. He has also continued to produce and direct in theatre; he most commonly stages the plays of playwright Jovanka Bach, who was his wife for 28 years until her death in 2006, [7] but has also created the original autobiographical show Me Myself And I, by Himself. [8]

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References

  1. ↑ Carole Corbeil, "Stark as Leacock is skillful and witty". The Globe and Mail , April 23, 1980.
  2. ↑ Rod Currie, "Leacock heads to Edinburgh". The Globe and Mail , July 28, 1981.
  3. 1 2 "Stark is successful". The Globe and Mail , September 22, 1980.
  4. ↑ Liam Lacey, "McKenzies vs. Rush for best album Juno". The Globe and Mail , March 2, 1982.
  5. ↑ "B.C. film is stymied by delayed funding, loss of director". Montreal Gazette , August 18, 1989.
  6. ↑ "Movie maker says second feature film planned for Vernon". Edmonton Journal , November 10, 1989.
  7. ↑ Mike Boehm, "Jovanka Bach, 69; Her Plays Were Staged in L.A., New York". Los Angeles Times , January 21, 2006.
  8. ↑ "John Stark's 'Me, Myself and I, By Myself' opens 10/13 - Odyssey Theater". Broadway World, October 1, 2013.
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