JESSE BAXTER

Jesse Baxter is a theatre-maker, educator, and global arts leader who creates experiences that invite artists into genuine connection with the people, histories, and landscapes of communities around the world. As the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Dramatic Adventure Theatre (DAT), he has spent nearly two decades developingcollaborative, community-rooted work in Ecuador, Slovakia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

Under his leadership, more than 350 artists have traveled with DAT to partner with local youth, artists, and artisans—resulting in 30+ original plays and 75+ community-led service projects (“mingas”) & local showcases, all created in tandem with the communities who inspired them. His artistic approach centers on place-based dramaturgy, ensemble devising, and creative processes grounded in field research, shared experience, and meaningful exchange.

As an educator, Jesse has taught over 1,000 university students across multiple institutions while also working with more than 2,500 young people through drama clubs, school partnerships, and field-based residencies. Jesse is committed to helping young artists find their voices and equip them to make a positive impact in the world. With an engaging and play-based approach, he emphasizes collaboration, imagination, and creative problem-solving, teaching from a global, interdisciplinary, and socially-conscious perspective. Jesse recognizes the profound impact of human-to-human connection and the transformative potential of theater when artists have a platform to stand up, act boldly, and share their truths.

As a theatre-maker (actor, director, deviser, and creative producer), Jesse is dedicated to crafting original plays that connect audiences with the spirit and truth of a place—its complexities, beauty, and challenges. He draws inspiration from new landscapes and creates stories where myths, memories, histories, traditions, and dreams converge with local social concerns and global implications. Collaborative storytelling and cross-cultural exchange are at the heart of his artistic practice.

Jesse holds an MFA in Theatre Arts (Devising New Works) from Towson University and a BA in Theatre (Acting & Directing) from Messiah University, with additional training from Temple University in Philadelphia, the University of Gloucestershire in England, the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, and intensive studies with Anne Bogart & SITI company in NYC, along with a wide range of international practitioners.

His work has carried him across:

• Africa: Zimbabwe, Tanzania (and Zanzibar), Kenya

• The Americas: Ecuador (Amazon & Galápagos), Colombia, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Navajo Nation, Wampanoag Nation, and 44 U.S. states

• Europe: Slovakia, Czechia, Austria, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Sweden

Jesse currently works between Baltimore and New York City, where he continues to expand DAT’s global programming, deepen partnerships, and support the next generation of adventurous theatre artists ready to make a difference. He is continually inspired by the global network of collaborators, alumni, and community partners who have shaped—and continue to shape—DAT’s evolving story—and by his two children: Lucille, a fiercely creative soul with a gift for story and a love of mystery and style, and Seamus, a curious and adventurous explorer who reminds him daily why art and connection matter.