He graduated from Brandeis University in 1969 with a degree in English before moving to Canada.
[1] He later received a master's degree in English from York University.
[2][3] Kaplan began his career as a theatre critic in Toronto in the 1970s writing reviews for The Body Politic.
[1] Kaplan would go on to become NOW's senior theatre writer and to work for the magazine for 35 years.
[5] Kaplan died at age 69 on April 28, 2017, from brain cancer.