# Andrew Kushnir > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Andrew_Kushnir > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Andrew_Kushnir.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Kushnir > Source revision: 1332606659 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Canadian playwright and actor (born 1980)}} {{Infobox writer | embed = | honorific_prefix = | name = | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = 1980 | birth_place = [Montreal](/source/Montreal), [Canada](/source/Canada) | occupation = actor, playwright | language = | nationality = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | period = | genre = | subject = | movement = | notable_works = | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | awards = | signature = | signature_alt = | signature_size = | signature_type = | years_active = | module = | website = | portaldisp = }} '''Andrew Kushnir''' (born 1980) is a [Canadian](/source/Canadians) playwright and actor.[http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Kushnir%2C%20Andrew "Kushnir, Andrew"]. ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', March 5, 2019. He is most noted as co-creator with [Damien Atkins](/source/Damien_Atkins) and [Paul Dunn](/source/Paul_Dunn_(playwright)) of ''The Gay Heritage Project'',"Gay Heritage Project has a bright future". ''[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)'', November 24, 2013. a theatrical show dramatizing aspects of [LGBT](/source/LGBT) history which was shortlisted for the [Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play](/source/Dora_Mavor_Moore_Award_for_Outstanding_New_Play) in 2014.[http://www.thetheatrereader.com/blog/2014/11/4/tapa-announces-2014-dora-award-nominees "TAPA ANNOUNCES 2014 DORA AWARD NOMINEES"]. ''The Theatre Reader'', June 2, 2014. == Early life and education == Born in [Montreal](/source/Montreal) and raised between Montreal and [Winnipeg](/source/Winnipeg),{{cite web |last1= |first1= |url=https://www.soulpepper.ca/about/people/andrew-kushnir?heading=Production |title=Soulpepper Theatre - Plays, Concerts & Musicals |website=soulpepper.ca |language=en |date= |access-date=2026-01-11 |archive-date=2026-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260111232015/https://www.soulpepper.ca/about/people/andrew-kushnir?heading=Production }} Kushnir is a second-generation [Ukrainian-Canadian](/source/Ukrainian_Canadians).{{cite web |last1=Bajus |first1=Daria |url=https://newpathway.ca/andrew-kushnir-2019-reach-mentorship-recepient/ |title=Andrew Kushnir - 2019 REACH Mentorship recepient[sic] |website=newpathway.ca |publisher=New Pathway |language=en |date=2020-07-28 |access-date=2026-01-11 |archive-date=2020-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008160631/https://newpathway.ca/andrew-kushnir-2019-reach-mentorship-recepient/ }} His maternal grandfather, Peter Kushnir, at 17 served as a messenger for the Waffen SS Galicia Division (later the 1st Ukrainian Division) before escaping from a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy and immigrating to Canada. Peter became a master watchmaker who designed the Zenith Extra RR 56 railway pocket watch and served as a significant influence on Andrew's later work.{{cite web |last1=Kushnir |first1=Andrew |url=https://macleans.ca/news/canada/my-love-for-the-giant-that-is-ukraine/ |title=My love for the giant that is Ukraine |website=macleans.ca |publisher=Maclean's |language=en |date=2022-02-25 |access-date=2026-01-11 |archive-date=2022-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225203254/https://macleans.ca/news/canada/my-love-for-the-giant-that-is-ukraine/ }} He was active in the [Ukrainian Youth Association](/source/Ukrainian_Youth_Association) and performed in community pageants as a child. He attended high school in Winnipeg, where he received The Loran Scholarship Award. Kushnir later graduated from the [University of Alberta](/source/University_of_Alberta)'s BFA Acting Conservatory. == Career == The artistic director of Project Humanity, a theatrical organization that uses the arts to raise social awareness, Kushnir specializes in [verbatim theatre](/source/verbatim_theatre), which addresses social issues by creating theatrical presentations from the real testimonies of people affected by them. His plays have included ''Captain Princess'',"For shame: Playwright takes on guilt and organized religion with musical flair". ''[Edmonton Journal](/source/Edmonton_Journal)'', November 25, 2006. ''foto'', ''The Middle Place'',"Shelter from the norm". ''[National Post](/source/National_Post)'', February 22, 2011. ''Small Axe'',"Project: Humanity play deserves to be seen". ''[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)'', January 25, 2015. ''Wormwood''"Powerful play revels in deceptive simplicity". ''[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)'', November 20, 2015. and ''Towards Youth: A Play on Radical Hope''."Theatre meets research project: Andrew Kushnir followed a professor around the world to write his latest play". ''[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)'', March 6, 2019. ''Towards Youth'' was published in 2022 by [University of Toronto Press](/source/University_of_Toronto_Press).{{Cite web |title=University of Toronto Press - Hope in a Collapsing World |url=https://utorontopress.com/9781487541200/hope-in-a-collapsing-world |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=University of Toronto Press |language=en-CA}} Following his grandfather's death, Kushnir travelled across Europe and Ukraine to retrace his family's history.{{cite web |url=https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca/news/crows-2526/ |title=Crow’s Theatre announces packed 2025-26 season, including major partnership with Soulpepper |website=intermissionmagazine.ca |publisher=Intermission Magazine |language=en |date=2025-04-09 |access-date=2026-01-11 |archive-date=2026-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260112005211/https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca/news/crows-2526/ }} This research resulted in his documentary play ''The Division'' (formerly ''The Time Piece''), which examines family mythology and historical memory. In 2023, he directed [Nick Green](/source/Nick_Green_(writer))'s ''Casey and Diana'' for the [Stratford Festival](/source/Stratford_Festival).Karen Fricker, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2023/06/10/my-mother-burst-into-tears-inside-casey-and-diana-the-most-moving-canadian-play-of-the-year.html "‘My mother burst into tears’: Inside ‘Casey and Diana,’ the most moving Canadian play of the year"]. ''[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)'', June 10, 2023. == Personal life == Kushnir came out as gay at age 19. == Activism == In 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kushnir founded the We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund in partnership with the Veritas Foundation.{{cite web |url=https://museum.bc.ca/brain/transcript-queerying-museums-episode-4-special-episode-on-ukraine-with-andrew-kushnir/ |title=Transcripts: Queer(y)ing Museums Episode 4: Special Episode on Ukraine with Andrew Kushnir |website=museum.bc.ca |publisher= |language=en |date= |access-date=2026-01-11 |archive-date=2026-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260112000155/https://museum.bc.ca/brain/transcript-queerying-museums-episode-4-special-episode-on-ukraine-with-andrew-kushnir/ }} The fund provides direct humanitarian aid to [queer and trans Ukrainians](/source/LGBTQ_rights_in_Ukraine), specifically to those who are internally displaced or marginalized.{{cite web |url=https://lgbtukrainesupport.com/about/ |title=About - LGBT Ukraine Support |website=lgbtukrainesupport.com |publisher= |language=en |date= |access-date=2026-01-11 |archive-date=2024-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228114020/https://lgbtukrainesupport.com/about/ }} By 2024, the fund had raised over $125,000 for Ukrainian NGOs such as {{Ill|KyivPride|uk|КиївПрайд}} and {{Ill|Gender Zed|uk|Гендер Зед}}.{{cite web |url=https://veritascharityservices.com/campaigns/we-support-lgbtq-ukraine-fund/ |title=We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund - Veritas Charity Services Inc. |website=veritascharityservices.com |publisher= |language=en |date= |access-date=2026-01-11 |archive-date=2026-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260112001059/https://veritascharityservices.com/campaigns/we-support-lgbtq-ukraine-fund/ }} ==References== {{reflist}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Kushnir, Andrew}} Category:1980 births Category:21st-century Canadian male actors Category:21st-century Canadian male writers Category:21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian male stage actors Category:Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian gay actors Category:Canadian gay writers Category:Canadian theatre directors Category:Male actors from Montreal Category:Writers from Montreal Category:Living people Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:Gay dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian people of Ukrainian descent --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Andrew Kushnir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Kushnir) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Kushnir?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.