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Guess who’s hitting the books this fall? Buddies in Bad Times founder, playwright and director Sky Gilbert is starting the PhD program at the U of T’s Graduate Centre for Study of Drama.
Back more than 20 years ago, Gilbert had almost finished an M.A. in drama when he dropped out to found Buddies in 1979. Recently, he’s been teaching acting, directing and writing at the University of Guelph, so academic concerns have been as close to him as playwriting.
His M.A. thesis dealt with James Barrie — remember Peter Pan’s fairy, Tinkerbell? — and Edwardian theatre. Gilbert’s continuing in this academic area for his PhD thesis, which will examine gay playwrights like Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham, Barrie and others and how Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment affected their creation of art — and themselves — as queers.
Gilbert’s first piece of non-fiction, a history of Buddies called Ejaculations From The Charm Factory, is set for publication in November. He plans to write a second non-fiction work while at school.
