Jacqueline Maxwell is a prominent figure in the Canadian theatre scene. Born and educated in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Ms Maxwell has worked extensively as a director and dramaturge, and has been instrumental in program creation at many theatre companies since arriving in Canada in 1978. She has worked with the National Arts Centre, Factory Theatre where she served as artistic director from 1986-1994, and the Charlottetown Festival where she served as head of new play development from 1997-2000. Her production credits include new works for Canadian Stage Company, Tarragon Theatre, Opera Ontario, The Grand Theatre (London), Young People’s Theatre, Manitoba Theatre Centre and Factory Theatre, among others. Ms Maxwell has been a dramaturge and teacher at Queen’s University, the Banff Center for the Arts, York University, George Brown College and the National Theatre School. She also spent eight years as guest artist/lecturer at the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama at the University of Toronto. She is currently artistic director of the Shaw Festival, a position she has held since 2002.