The List: 10 things playwright Hannah Moscovitch can’t live without
The celebrated playwright is premiering a new double bill at the Tarragon Theatre this month. Here, the 10 things she can’t live without
1 | My guiltiest pleasure A few years ago I was a writer on the CBC radio show Afghanada. One of the characters loved the mixed martial arts star Georges St-Pierre, so I had to watch a lot of UFC for research. I got hooked. I like to watch a match before bed.
2 | My lucky jacket I was hit by a car at Dundas and Ossington in 2006, and I nearly died—the doctors still don’t know how I survived. I had this jacket on, and I think it saved me from getting too ripped up.
3 | My podcasts I listen to a lot of podcasts and university lectures on iTunes. My favourites are the history and science-y ones, like Philosophy Bites or Big Ideas. They give me a chance to learn about neurology or why ants travel in packs or the psychology of death—I just really like information.
4 | My coffee shop
Jimmy’s Coffee is right around the corner from my condo. I go there to work most days. I started inviting all the baristas to my plays, just so they could see what all my typing and mumbling was about. And one came!
5 | My laptop I used to have PCs, but they kept crashing. One time I was on tech support and I was yelling at the guy, and he said I should just get a Mac. So I did. And I discovered that all writers have Macs.
6 | My engagement ring It’s vintage, from the 1880s. My fiancé got it at a crazy antique shop in Montreal. It’s a really big fucking diamond, which isn’t what I ever expected for myself, but I like it now that I have it.
7 | My water therapy I love going to Body Blitz Spa at Adelaide and Portland because it’s super relaxing. It’s nice to commit to two or three hours of total self-indulgence.
8 | My vodka I like vodka mostly because it’s Polish. There’s something so vicious about Polish poverty; I imagine they drank a lot of this under Russian rule. I switch from coffee to vodka at around 7 p.m., and it helps me write. My favourite brand is Ketel One.*
9 | My fake pearls I have a real set, but they’re in a bank vault somewhere. My stepmother, Linda, made me a fake set, and I wear them with everything.
10 | My inspirational book I’m obsessed with How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti. If I were to have written a novel, I’d want to have written this one. I like it because we’re both artists living and writing in Toronto, and I feel connected to her that way.
*Update: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly suggested that Ketel One is a Polish brand. It’s a Dutch brand. We regret the error.
NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY
Sign up for This City, our free newsletter about everything that matters right now in Toronto politics, sports, business, culture, society and more.
