The Theatre Orangeville Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that Jennifer Stewart has been chosen to succeed long-standing Artistic Director (AD) David Nairn as the theatre’s new Artistic Director. Jennifer will begin a six-month overlap/mentorship period alongside David, beginning in January 2025, before assuming the full Artistic Directorship in July of 2025.
Jennifer has the bona fides. She is a graduate of Sheridan College’s esteemed Musical Theatre Performance Program and also holds an MFA in Theatre Directing from East 15/University of Essex in London, UK.
She has been immersed in the Canadian theatre industry for over 35 years, beginning her career as a child actor in The Winter’s Tale at the Stratford Festival in the early 90s. She is a multidisciplinary theatre artist – actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, producer, and educator – who has performed and directed plays and musicals and taught throughout Canada, the US, the UK, and Europe. And as an actor, director and educator, Jennifer has had the unique perspective of knowing how magical, mysterious and exciting theatre can and should be for audiences of all ages.
She has spent nine seasons at Stratford as both an actor and an assistant director (on productions such as HMS Pinafore and Long Day’s Journey into Night). While with the Stratford Festival she was a participant of the Michael Langham Program for Classical Theatre Direction under the mentorship of the incomparable Martha Henry.
As a long-time observer of Theatre Orangeville’s work, Jennifer understands the impact Theatre Orangeville has on our community and is a firm believer in how important theatre is to building community. She looks forward to calling Orangeville home and getting to know Theatre Orangeville’s patrons, sponsors, and community partners in the new year.
