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A Biography in Four Parts

Neil Muscott has earned his living for 20 years as a writer, performer, director and teacher. He has successfully written for publication, theatre, radio and television.

Part I - Writer
 At age sixteen, encouraged by his Grade 11 English teachers, Neil decided to become a writer. In his early twenties, he plunged in and spent two years writing a novel -a poorly written, unpublishable, autobiographical book. But he learned a lot from writing 300 pages, including how little he really knew about writing fiction. He decided to focus on smaller projects until he mastered his craft.

For the next ten years he studied creative writing, journalism and graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in English Literature. He also studied film there, completing an undergraduate thesis about the process of adapting novels to the screen.

By age twenty-seven Neil had published feature articles, short stories, poetry and columns in numerous magazines, including Perian Spring, The New Quarterly, The Literary Review, London and Company, Spotlight, Books In Canada, Canadian Author and Bookman, and An Anthology of London Poets.

Over the years, Neil has been active as a teacher and editor. In 1982 he was a founding member, with novelist Austin Clarke, of The Writers' Workshop at the University of Western Ontario. He was founding editor of Watchwords, a national poetry magazine, and served on the editorial board of the university literary review. In 1996 he started the Deer Park Writers Group for the Toronto Public Library, which is now in its ninth year. Neil has taught writing to individuals and for many organizations such as Harbourfront Centre, The Storytelling School of Toronto, Durham College, and The Haliburton School of the Arts (summer, 2005).

Part II - Performer
 In 1984 a friend talked Neil into taking improvisation workshops with the famous Second City theatre company, which had recently opened a branch in London, Ontario. He was quickly hooked on improv comedy, which provided an outlet for his sense of humour. Improv was also a very fun group activity, very appealing after the isolation of a decade of writing.

Thinking he could combine his love of improv and writing, Neil moved to Toronto in 1985 to pursue a career in comedy. For ten years Neil performed in hundreds of shows, from Toronto's Harbourfront Centre to Second City's main stage, from smoky, back room cabarets to The Paris Hilton in Las Vegas.

In 1986, Neil began taking improv workshops into organizations to improve teamwork, communications, creativity and stress management. For a decade he traveled across Canada giving over 1,000 talks and workshops on the positive use of humour to organizations in business, government and healthcare. The Globe and Mail said "Neil Muscott is the Steve Martin of Stress Managers". The Financial Post called Neil "the Jerry Seinfeld of the corporate world". In 1987 Influence Magazine honoured him as "One of Canada's 50 Men of Influence"

Part III - Writer/Director
 After an intense decade earning his living as a performer, Neil decided to quit performing in order to concentrate on writing and directing. He has written for TVO, and appeared on CBC's Basic Black, Canada AM and City-TV's Breakfast Television. He was the creative force behind many critically acclaimed shows.

His popular Comedy Debate was praised by Now Magazine as "the funniest night of the year". TV pilots were produced for the Comedy Network. The Toronto Star said Neil's shows "provide a much needed injection of edgy, thought-provoking comedy". His production of "Honest Ed - The Bargain Musical" was selected by Now Magazine as one of Toronto's Top 10 Shows of 1999.

Part IV - Writer
After 20 years of show business, Neil has recently "retired" to Peterborough, Ontario to pursue his first love - writing serious fiction. He is working on a novel and a series of short stories. He has also written a non-fiction book, Confessions of a Public Speaker, a funny behind-the-scenes look at the speakers' circuit.