Canadian theatre critic and writer Mira Friedlander, a correspondent for Variety and a former contributor to Playbill On-Line, died May 10 of breast cancer, Variety reported.

Ms. Friedlander, a Toronto-based critic who covered the Stratford and Shaw festivals over the years, as well as Canadian theatre and Broadway shows, was 48. She was active with the Canadian Theatre Critics Association in her career.

She was an award-winning free-lance writer for many publications for 20 years. Her views on theatre were heard on Toronto radio stations Classical 96 and 103 FM. She was one of the first critics to review the Livent initiated, Lincoln Center Theater staging of Parade, before its press opening, in 1998-99.

She also contributed news stories about Canadian theatre to Playbill On Line.

Ms. Friedlander was born in Israel and moved with her family to Toronto when she was four. Survivors include mother Katja and husband Wayne Fairhead. Donations may be made to the Mira Friedlander Scholarship Foundation, which assists hopeful theatre writers. Checks are payable to York University (Mira Friedlander Fund), Faculty of Fine Arts, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3. A celebration of Ms. Friedlander's life will take place 7 PM June 5 Hart House Theatre in Toronto.

-- By Kenneth Jones