It is with great sadness that the National Arts Centre mourns the loss of actor and playwright Linda Griffiths, one of Canada’s most renowned theatre artists, who died on September 21 at the age of 60.

“Linda Griffiths was a trailblazer, putting the voices and stories of Canadians – particularly of Canadian women – on the stage,” said Jillian Keiley, Artistic Director of English Theatre.  

Associate Artistic Director Sarah Garton Stanley, who directed Ms. Griffiths’ play Age of Arousal at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre in 2009, added: “She was a wonderful woman, a captivating presence on the stage, and a fearless, gifted writer. We will dearly miss her wit, her originality, and her passion for and dedication to theatre in Canada.”

Ms. Griffiths was a founding member of 25th Street Theatre in Saskatoon, and was part of the cast in its collective creation Paper Wheat (1978). She rose to prominence when she collaborated with director Paul Thompson to write Maggie and Pierre, in which she played Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Margaret Trudeau and a reporter. Premiering at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille in 1980, Maggie and Pierre was a hit: the play would  tour across Canada, and played at the Phoenix Theatre, off-Broadway.

Ms. Griffiths enjoyed a successful career in film and television, but theatre was her first love. Many of her plays centre on strong women, including Wallis Simpson (The Duchess aka Wallis Simpson) and Gwendolyn MacEwen (Alien Creature: A Visitation from Gwendolyn MacEwen).

Her many awards include five Dora Awards, including wins for Maggie and Pierre (1980), O.D. in Paradise (1983), Jessica (1986), and Alien Creature (2000); a Gemini Award; two Chalmers awards for Jessica (1986) and Alien Creature (2000); and a Quizanne International Festival award for Jessica (1987). She was nominated twice for the Governor General's Award (The Darling Family, Alien Creature) and Age of Arousal won the Betty Mitchell Award for best new play in 2007. In addition to her plays, Ms. Griffiths wrote fiction and poetry. In 1999, Blizzard Press produced an anthology of her work, Sheer Nerve: Seven Plays by Linda Griffiths.

Flags at the NAC are at half-mast in honour of Linda Griffiths.