Shaw Festival Announces Artistic Director Designate

Shaw Festival Announces
Artistic Director Designate
Media Release #15
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, July 11, 2001 . . . Shaw Festival Board of Governors Chairman
Lorne R. Barclay and Artistic Director Christopher Newton today announced that Jackie
Maxwell has been named Artistic Director Designate.
Head of New Play Development at the Charlottetown Festival from 1996 – 2000, Jackie
Maxwell has also worked as a freelance director across Canada with directing credits that include
The Memory of Water for Mirvish Productions and Tarragon Theatre; Susannah for Opera
Ontario; The Orphan Muses for Centaur Theatre; Dancing at Lughnasa for Canadian Stage
Company and Theatre Calgary; and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) at the Grand
Theatre.
As Artistic Director of the Factory Theatre in Toronto, from 1987 – 1995, Ms. Maxwell directed
many productions including Still Alive, Stone and Ashes, Moo, Girls in the Gang, and Crossing
Over.
Most recently she directed the Shaw Festival’s critically acclaimed production of Picnic; Zadie’s
Shoes at Factory Theatre; The Weir at Canadian Stage Company and Manitoba Theatre Centre;
and Liquor Guns Karate at Tarragon Theatre.
In the coming months, Ms. Maxwell will direct Elisa’s Skin for Tarragon Theatre; Lonesome
West for Canadian Stage Company; and Zadie’s Shoes for Mirvish Productions.
In making his announcement, Mr. Barclay stated: “The appointment of Jackie Maxwell continues
The Shaw’s long history of excellence in the arts. Her lengthy and prestigious career as a
director, dramaturge and mentor of young artists across Canada complements the existing level
of distinction established by Christopher Newton, Colleen Blake and the senior management
team at The Shaw.”
Artistic Director Christopher Newton added: “Because we always live in the present a theatre
company must constantly renew itself. The Shaw has chosen evolution rather than revolution.
Jackie Maxwell, who headed the new writing program of the Shaw Academy in the ’80s and
who has happily rejoined us as a director, has all the wit, the sympathy and joy to take us into the
21 st century. I am delighted to welcome her as my successor.”
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Managing Director Colleen Blake is “thrilled at the prospect of collaborating with Jackie. She’s
passionate about the theatre, about language and about actors, and will be a terrific Artistic
Director.”
In accepting the position, Ms. Maxwell commented: “I feel that I have been given the most
amazing far-reaching gift that any theatre artist could ask for – to continue the legacy of
Christopher Newton in one of the most respected, inventive and consistently excellent theatres in
the English speaking world. I accept with pride and delight.”
Ms. Maxwell will join the Shaw Festival for the 2002 season to work alongside current Artistic
Director Christopher Newton, until she officially assumes the position of Artistic Director on
November 1, 2002 when Christopher retires.
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contact:
Odette Yazbeck
Patti Broughton
Media Relations Director
Media Relations Co-ordinator
905-468-2153, or 905-468-2153 or
1-800-657-1106 ext. 222 1-800-657-1106 ext 224
oyazbeck@shawfest.com
mediarelations@shawfest.com