THE PRODUCING TEAM
Jesse MacLean
Executive Director
Jesse MacLean (he/him) is a director, performer and sound designer based in Halifax. He was named Executive Director of Shakespeare By The Sea in 2026, after serving as Managing Artistic Director for the past 4 years, and before that, Co-Artistic Director for 11 seasons. Since 2003 he has directed over 40 productions for SBTS. Jesse leads the company’s collective creation efforts, developing hit musical adaptations such as Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz and Pinocchio, which have been praised by critics as being "consistently outstanding"... "endlessly clever", and "...a sight to behold!". His many Shakespeare productions have been hailed by critics as “Electrifying”... “Epic and imaginative”… “a potent combination of wide-screen spectacle and hushed, intimate drama”... “daring, thoughtful, with an extraordinary dedication to the text.”
Jesse has toured extensively as a Puppeteer and Stage Manager across North America and Asia with the internationally acclaimed Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. His evocative sound designs have been used in productions for Neptune Theatre, SBTSHalifax, The Chester Playhouse and Eastern Front Theatre. Jesse served as Programming Director of The Chester Playhouse from 2019-2021, and has twice been a guest faculty member at his alma mater, Bishop’s University in Quebec.
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Jesse can be reached at
Drew Douris-O'Hara
Artistic Director
Jade Douris-O'Hara
Resident Artist & Studio Director
Drew Douris-O’Hara (he/him) is a director, actor, theatre educator and Shakespeare by the Sea’s 5th Artistic Director. Drew has worked on over 50 productions for SBTS since 2003, most recently directing As You Like It: The Walkabout Experience, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, HAMLET and A Midsummer Night's Dream. His work on Shakespeare’s plays is lauded for its accessibility, clarity and imaginative interpretations. For his work at SBTS, Drew is a five time Merritt Award Nominee.
In addition to over 800 performances for SBTS, Drew has appeared on many stages, including Neptune Theatre, Halifax Theatre for Young People, Theatre Aquarius, Carousel Players, OneLight Theatre, LiveBait Theatre, Driftwood Theatre, and Humber River Shakespeare. For film, Drew’s credits include This Hour has 22 Minutes, Diggstown (CBC), and the cult classic: Hobo with a Shotgun (SunDance). Drew was previously a resident artist of Toronto’s critically acclaimed Shakespeare BASH’d (NOW Magazine’s Best Site-Specific Theatre Company 2018 and 2019) and co-wrote the musical And Now The End (SummerWorks 2014).
Drew holds a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University where he received the inaugural DES MCANUFF AWARD for Excellence in Classical Theatre and is a member of the 2026 cohort for the Michael Langham Director’s Workshop at the Stratford Festival of Canada, where he was the assistant director for THE TEMPEST under Antoni Cimolino in his final season as Artistic Director.
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Any questions for Drew can be sent to drew@shakespearebythesea.ca
Jade Douris (she/her) is a Toronto born-and-raised, Halifax-based actor, choreographer, singer, dancer, and instructor. She is the Studio Director and Resident Artist at Shakespeare by the Sea, where she has spent four seasons. Recent acting credits include Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Biron in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Bianca in Othello, and Tinkerbell in Peter Pan (SBTS), Celia in As You Like It and Viola in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare BASH’d), Amy in A Different Kind of Job (Theatre Aquarius), and CBC’s According to Kids. As a dance, musical theatre, and acting teacher for young people, she has taught at several studios in the Toronto area, including the Groove School of Dance, Star Potential Studios, the Toronto StageCoach Schools, the Upper Canada Repertory Company, and Sean Boutilier Academy of Dance. Her professional choreography credits include four seasons at Shakespeare by the Sea, several works for Shakespeare BASH’d, Dauntless City Theatre, and Shakespeare at Play. In 2018, she became a Resident Artist of Shakespeare BASH’d, winner of NOW Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award for Best Site-Specific Theatre Company in 2018 and 2019. She received a Merritt Award nomination for Best Choreography in 2019. Jade was a 2019 nominee for Best Theatre Actor in The Coast's Best of Halifax.
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Any questions for Jade can be sent to jade@shakespearebythesea.ca
Rebecca Wolfe
Director of Development
Rebecca Wolfe (she/her) is a Halifax-based theatre-maker whose work spans producing, choreography, directing, and performance. A graduate of Humber College’s Theatre Performance Program, Rebecca has worked with a wide range of companies in Kjipuktuk, including Mocean Dance, Eastern Front Theatre, The Villains Theatre, Halifax Theatre for Young People, Heist, and Live Art Dance, contributing as a producer, administrator, and fundraiser. After multiple summers with Shakespeare By The Sea, she is delighted to be joining the year-round team as Director of Development.
Her choreography and movement direction credits include Dear Rita (Neptune), Til Death Do Us Part (Ship's Company Theatre ‘24; Kick at the Dark Theatre Co-op ‘22), and Elf the Musical (Apprentice, Neptune). Rebecca’s directing work includes Birds of a Feather (Neptune Theatre School TourCo), Shakespeare’s Time Machine (The Villains Theatre), and Elf The Musical Jr. (Halifax Regional Arts). As a performer, she has appeared in The Nutcracker (Symphony Nova Scotia), The Movements (Zuppa), Macro Digitals (Eastern Front Theatre), 4.48 Psychosis (Caravan Theatre), and Theatre New Brunswick’s Young Company (2020). She brings to each project a deep commitment to collaboration, physical storytelling, and community-centered theatre-making.
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Rebecca can be reached at