Jerry has been around the Vancouver theatre scene for a long time. Morris remembers performing with him in a Freddy Wood production of The Duchess of Malfi back in 1976. Jerry has recently assumed the role of Theatre Department head at UBC. Its a great position for someone who, like him, cares so much about what goes into the hearts and minds of young theatre artists. Jerry started the vancouverplays.com website which so brilliantly gives focus to Vancouver theatre, in an atmosphere where not much else does. We dont always agree with his critiques, but he always approaches theatre criticism with great intelligence and sensitivity

Professor of English and Theatre at the University of British Columbia, Jerry Wasserman has written and lectured widely on Canadian theatre, modern fiction, dramatic literature, theatre history and blues music; edited the two-volume anthology Modern Canadian Plays, a standard course text now in its fourth edition; made over two hundred appearances on stage, film and television; and served for over fifteen years as a drama critic on CBC Radio. He is currently the editor of Vancouverplays.com, an informative Web site that provides up-to-date listings and reviews of local theatre performances.

Wasserman grew up in New York City and attained an M.A. in English from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Cornell, specializing in twentieth-century literature and drama. He started teaching at UBC in 1972; though his initial research focus was on fiction, his work in the theatre as an actor soon led him to teach mainly drama courses, eventually creating a course in Canadian drama.

In addition to his scholarly accomplishments, Wasserman continues to maintain a busy career as an actor. A seasoned veteran on the Vancouver theatre scene, he has also appeared in numerous feature films and major television series. For more information on Wasserman and his work, please visit www.english.ubc.ca/~jerrywas/. His acting credits may also be found on www.imdb.com.