{{Short description|Theatre director}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Jackie Maxwell | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1956}} | birth_place = Belfast, Northern Ireland | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | nationality = <!-- use only when necessary per WP:INFONAT --> | other_names = | education = University of Manchester | occupation = {{hlist|Theatre director|artistic director}} | years_active = 1978–present | known_for = | notable_works = | spouse = Benedict Campbell | children = 2, including Deragh Campbell }} '''Jackie Maxwell''' (born 1956) is an Irish-born Canadian theatre director and dramaturge. She was the artistic director of the Shaw Festival from 2002 to 2016.
== Early life and education == Maxwell was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her mother was an English and drama teacher and her father was a bookie. By the time Maxwell was nine, she became involved with the Youth Group of the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Ouzounian |first=Richard |date=2010-05-28 |title=Ouzounian: Jackie Maxwell is Shaw Festival's champion |work=Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2010/05/28/ouzounian_jackie_maxwell_is_shaw_festivals_champion.html |access-date=2022-09-04}}</ref> In 1974, she began an honours degree in drama at the University of Manchester, England. While working as an usher at Contact Theatre in England, Maxwell me the man who would become her husband, Canadian actor Benedict Campbell.<ref name="historica" /> In January 1978, Campbell was offered a contract with the National Arts Centre to perform ''Troilus and Cressida''; Maxwell accompanied him back to Canada.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2008-10-02 |title=Theatre critics hail Shaw's Jackie Maxwell for her achievements |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/theatre-critics-hail-shaw-s-jackie-maxwell-for-her-achievements-1.722856 |access-date=2022-09-04}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
== Career == After moving to Canada, Maxwell became involved with the Canadian theatre scene, working as a director at the National Arts Centre.<ref name="historica">[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jackie-maxwell Jackie Maxwell] at The Canadian Encyclopedia, accessed September 1, 2019</ref> John Wood gave Maxwell several assistant director positions before offering her a solo-directed show. Maxwell chose to direct ''The Changeling'', starring Martha Burns.<ref name=":3" /> When Bob White, the then-artistic direct of Factory Theatre in Toronto, went on sabbatical, he asked Maxwell, still in her twenties,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schabas |first=Martha |date=2018-02-07 |title=Jackie Maxwell is right where she wants to be: in the director's chair |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/jackie-maxwell-is-right-where-she-wants-to-be-in-the-directors-chair/article37892212/ |access-date=2022-09-04}}</ref> to take over the position. Though she was initially only supposed to serve one year, she stayed for seven (1987–95).<ref name=":3" /> Maxwell also served as Director of New Play Development at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">[https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/scenes-from-a-life-jackie-maxwell Scenes from a Life: Jackie Maxwell] by Melissa Leong, 2012, National Post, accessed September 1, 2019</ref>
Beginning with their 2002 season, Maxwell served as the artistic director for the Shaw Festival, succeeding Christopher Newton. Prior to becoming artistic director, she had served as the head of the new writing program of the Shaw Academy in the 1980s and directed ''Picnic'' in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |date=2001-07-11 |title=Jackie Maxwell Named Shaw Festival Artistic Director Designate |url=https://playbill.com/article/jackie-maxwell-named-shaw-festival-artistic-director-designate-com-97648 |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=Playbill}}</ref> During her tenure at the Shaw Festival, Maxwell has included pieces by women writers from Shaw’s period, commissioned new translations by some of Canada’s most respected playwrights, presented Canadian classics on the playbill and initiated enormous growth in the area of new play development.<ref name="shawhistory" /> Her choices of plays marked a move away from presenting only plays by Shaw and his contemporaries towards including contemporary playwrights.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maga |first=Carly |date=2016-07-30 |title=Jackie Maxwell goes out with a splash |url=https://www.muskokaregion.com/whatson-story/6790292-jackie-maxwell-goes-out-with-a-splash/ |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=Muskoka Region |language=en-CA}}</ref>
Maxwell's extensive list of directed productions includes Chekhov's ''Three Sisters'' (2003),<ref name="shawhistory">Shaw Festival Mandate and History http://www.shawfest.com/about-the-shaw/mandate-and-history/</ref> Marc Michel Bouchard's ''The Coronation Voyage'' (2003) and Githa Sowerby's ''Rutherford and Son'' (2004), ''Saint Joan'' (2007), ''Brief Encounters'' (2009),<ref name=":1">Noël Coward’s Tonight at 8:30 series started with previews of Brief Encounters at the Shaw Festival Theatre. Media Release. Shaw Festival. http://news.shawfest.com/2009/04/14/noel-coward’s-tonight-at-830-series-started-with-previews-of-brief-encounters-at-the-shaw-festival-theatre/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322150614/http://news.shawfest.com/2009/04/14/noel-coward%e2%80%99s-tonight-at-830-series-started-with-previews-of-brief-encounters-at-the-shaw-festival-theatre/ |date=22 March 2021 }}</ref> Jay Turvey/Paul Sportelli musical ''Maria Severa'' (2011).
Beginning with Shaw's 2015 season, Maxwell began to transition out of the role of artistic director. She served as artistic director for the 2015 and 2016 seasons and then oversaw the 2017 season.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Donnelly |first=Pat |date=2014-03-28 |title=Shaw Festival's Jackie Maxwell Held Over For Two More Seasons |work=Montreal Gazette |url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/theatre/shaw-festivals-jackie-maxwell-held-over-for-two-more-seasons |access-date=2022-09-04}}</ref> In 2016, as part of her final season as artistic director, Maxwell returned to Chekhov, whose ''Three Sisters'' she directed in her inaugural season as AD, and directed ''Uncle Vanya''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zettel |first=Mike |date=2016-05-02 |title=Arts Spotlight: Jackie Maxwell |url=https://www.niagarathisweek.com/community-story/6817467-arts-spotlight-jackie-maxwell/ |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=Niagara This Week |language=en-CA}}</ref> Maxwell was succeeded as AD by Tim Carroll.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dabkowski |first=Colin |date=2016-05-04 |title=Shaw Fest's Jackie Maxwell looks back on 14-year tenure |url=https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/shaw-fests-jackie-maxwell-looks-back-on-14-year-tenure/article_fd0d521f-e03d-5732-bd1e-39f3010152ba.html |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=Buffalo News |language=en}}</ref> In 2017, the festival renamed the Studio Theatre in Maxwell's honour, calling it the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. The Studio Theatre was originally added to the Shaw Festival space during Maxwell's tenure as AD in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Don |date=2017-07-28 |title=The Shaw Festival Renamed Theatre in Honour of Former Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell |url=https://don411.com/the-shaw-festival-renames-theatre-in-honour-of-former-artistic-director-jackie-maxwell/ |access-date=2022-09-04 |website=Don411.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Personal life == She is married to actor Benedict Campbell and has two children, Deragh and Lou.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ouzounian |first=Richard |date=2010-05-28 |title=Ouzounian: Jackie Maxwell is Shaw Festival's champion |work=Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2010/05/28/ouzounian_jackie_maxwell_is_shaw_festivals_champion.html |access-date=2022-09-04}}</ref>
==Awards and honours== Maxwell was award the Canadian Theatre Critics Association's Herbert Whittaker/Drama Bench Award in 2008.<ref name=":2" /> In 2016, Maxwell was made a member of the Order of Ontario.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.ontario.ca/mci/en/2016/01/new-appointees-to-the-order-of-ontario-2.html|title=New Appointees to the Order of Ontario|date=January 13, 2016}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Jackie}} Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Irish theatre directors Category:Irish women theatre directors Category:Dramaturges Category:Members of the Order of Ontario Category:Canadian theatre directors Category:Canadian women theatre directors Category:Canadian artistic directors Category:Irish emigrants to Canada