Top 20 Under 40- Hannah Moscovitch

Shalom Life is proud to present our 2nd annual ”Top 20 Under 40” list. This list encompasses 20 individuals of diverse occupations and backgrounds from businessmen and businesswomen and innovative entrepreneurs, to philanthropists, entertainers, doctors and more, the list places a spotlight on the myriad of talented, creative and passionate Jews, all under 40, who call Canada home.

Top 20 Under 40- Hannah Moscovitch

Age: 33

Canadian playwright, Hannah Moscovitch, began her journey at Ottawa’s National Theatre School in the acting stream. After graduation, Moscovitch moved to Toronto to pursue a career within theatre.

Moscovitch first gained recognition with the release of two short plays written for Toronto’s SummerWorks Festival; Essay (2005) and The Russian Play (2006). The following year, Moscovitch premiered her first full-length play entitled East of Berlin at the Tarragon Theatre.

East of Berlin follows the son of a Nazi war criminal who meets the daughter of an Auschwitz survivor during his travels in Berlin. The show was very popular amongst both critics and audiences, returning to the Tarragon Theatre in the winter of 2009 and 2010 after Tarragon toured it across the country.

East of Berlin was acclaimed for its complexity and use of humour while dealing wth difficult subject matter.

“I like topics that allow me to explore complexity. I'm drawn to themes that enable me to show the moral flexibility of the human psyche,” Moscovitch explains.

Moscovitch also believes that workshopping material early on is integral to creating a final product that will resonate with the audience.

“Writing firsts drafts is solitary grueling work. Once I have something on the page that I think might be viable, I like to workshop. Theatre is a strange medium to write for: theatre happens between actors and an audience. You can't know whether your text connects to people until you see it read by actors in front of an audience, so I try to get my plays up in front of people as soon as possible.”

Moscovitch is currently in residence at the Tarragon Theatre. She is in the process of workshopping two new plays; This is War and Other People’s Children. This month, she is also workshopping a third new play entitled What a Young Wife Ought to Know and is writing for radio.

Some people have labeled Moscovitch the “it” girl of Canadian playwriting and an “instant success”

“I get talked about as an instant success. Not true. I waitressed for five dark years.” Moscovitch jokes.

Shalom Life is currently searching for the best and brightest Jews under 40 in New York who have gained recognition in business, entertainment, philanthropy, technology and more. Please send suggestions to top20NY@shalomlife.com