Jacob Wolstencroft has enjoyed the great privilege of working across Canada and internationally as an actor, director, and educator. He is passionate about the development of new works, has a deep-rooted love for musical theatre, and is proud to be among the new generation of theatre artists. An emerging entrepreneur, Jacob is dedicated to pieces that share the LGBTQ+ experience and promote inclusivity and positivity.
Jacob loves the theatre, and has from a very young age. Some memories of his formative years include attending The Lion King at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, learning how to fast-forward through the "scary parts" of the VHS recording of Cats, watching his peers perform in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown! at his elementary school, and sitting next to his grandma on the couch while watching Julie Andrews descend from the clouds in Mary Poppins. At the age of ten years old, Jacob made his community theatre debut wearing a spray painted costume and silver makeup as the Tin Man in Sidekick Players’ Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz. These moments, combined with his involvement in summer theatre camps and recreational studio programs, solidified Jacob's lifelong love and passion for the theatre.
As a teenager, Jacob was an avid and active member in his high school drama department, while also investing time in performing outside of school through community theatre and semi-professional productions. A key moment in his development was when he performed in Awkward Stage Productions’ inaugural production, 13, which was presented in the 2010 Vancouver Fringe Festival. The production won “Pick of The Fringe” and had two successful remounts, but it was also monumental for Jacob as it taught him that theatre has the power to inspire positivity into the world and to be a catalyst for change. At his core, this is why Jacob pursues a career in the theatre.
Jacob attended Capilano University’s Musical Theatre Performance program from 2011 to 2014. During his training, he performed in productions of Into the Woods, Twelfth Night, The Boy Friend, and The Drowsy Chaperone (Exit 22). He spent his summers in Stanley Park, working at Theatre Under The Stars. In 2012, he worked backstage as the Assistant Stage Manager for The Music Man, for which he received the Rising Star Award. In the summer of 2013, he performed How To Succeed In Business… and received the Aida Broadbent Award for professional conduct and performance. Finally in 2014, he performed in Shrek the Musical as the Captain of the Guard and the understudy for Lord Farquaad and Pinocchio, a role which he took over for the final week of performances.
After completing his post-secondary education, Jacob spent the first years of his career focused on his work as a performer. He was thrilled to make his professional theatre debut in 2015 at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in their production of The Pirates of Penzance. Some of his favourite performance credits include Dogfight with Award Stage Productions, Fiddler on the Roof with RCMT, and his year performing onboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship as an original cast member of Frozen: A Musical Spectacular.
In 2017, Jacob made the move from being based in Vancouver to primarily being in Toronto. Shortly after this move, he began to recognize his desire to explore leadership opportunities in the performing arts industry, and specifically his passion for directing. Having already at that point self-produced and directed two productions outside of an educational institution, Jacob was prepared to seek out new directing opportunities, mentorships, and workshops. He trained with Richard Rose through the Tarragon Theatre's Directing Workshop and recently was mentored by Lonny Price and Matt Cowart at Theatre Calgary while working on their production of The Louder We Get. He has directed productions of The Music Man, The Little Mermaid, and Annie for the Kay Meek Theatre's Junior Conservatory Program where he was the residing director for three years. He also had the pleasure of working with his friend and mentor Peter Jorgensen as the Assistant Director on an actor-musician production of Fiddler on the Roof at Persephone Theatre. His other directing credits include Romeo and Juliet (Knockout Theatre), Meet Me Tonight and Marry Me A Little (Square One Entertainment).
With immense belief in the importance of fostering the next generation of artists, Jacob is passionate about his work as an educator and has taught a variety of one-off workshops and several week long courses in a variety of disciplines. To supplement his work as an educator, Jacob is constantly seeking thrilling and unique opportunities to expand upon his own artistic knowledge. He looks toward his coming years in the industry with great excitement - he sees that endless possibilities and undiscovered pathways exist, as do opportunities for collaboration with fantastic artists across Canada, and around the world.
Jacob loves the theatre, and has from a very young age. Some memories of his formative years include attending The Lion King at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, learning how to fast-forward through the "scary parts" of the VHS recording of Cats, watching his peers perform in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown! at his elementary school, and sitting next to his grandma on the couch while watching Julie Andrews descend from the clouds in Mary Poppins. At the age of ten years old, Jacob made his community theatre debut wearing a spray painted costume and silver makeup as the Tin Man in Sidekick Players’ Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz. These moments, combined with his involvement in summer theatre camps and recreational studio programs, solidified Jacob's lifelong love and passion for the theatre.
As a teenager, Jacob was an avid and active member in his high school drama department, while also investing time in performing outside of school through community theatre and semi-professional productions. A key moment in his development was when he performed in Awkward Stage Productions’ inaugural production, 13, which was presented in the 2010 Vancouver Fringe Festival. The production won “Pick of The Fringe” and had two successful remounts, but it was also monumental for Jacob as it taught him that theatre has the power to inspire positivity into the world and to be a catalyst for change. At his core, this is why Jacob pursues a career in the theatre.
Jacob attended Capilano University’s Musical Theatre Performance program from 2011 to 2014. During his training, he performed in productions of Into the Woods, Twelfth Night, The Boy Friend, and The Drowsy Chaperone (Exit 22). He spent his summers in Stanley Park, working at Theatre Under The Stars. In 2012, he worked backstage as the Assistant Stage Manager for The Music Man, for which he received the Rising Star Award. In the summer of 2013, he performed How To Succeed In Business… and received the Aida Broadbent Award for professional conduct and performance. Finally in 2014, he performed in Shrek the Musical as the Captain of the Guard and the understudy for Lord Farquaad and Pinocchio, a role which he took over for the final week of performances.
After completing his post-secondary education, Jacob spent the first years of his career focused on his work as a performer. He was thrilled to make his professional theatre debut in 2015 at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in their production of The Pirates of Penzance. Some of his favourite performance credits include Dogfight with Award Stage Productions, Fiddler on the Roof with RCMT, and his year performing onboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship as an original cast member of Frozen: A Musical Spectacular.
In 2017, Jacob made the move from being based in Vancouver to primarily being in Toronto. Shortly after this move, he began to recognize his desire to explore leadership opportunities in the performing arts industry, and specifically his passion for directing. Having already at that point self-produced and directed two productions outside of an educational institution, Jacob was prepared to seek out new directing opportunities, mentorships, and workshops. He trained with Richard Rose through the Tarragon Theatre's Directing Workshop and recently was mentored by Lonny Price and Matt Cowart at Theatre Calgary while working on their production of The Louder We Get. He has directed productions of The Music Man, The Little Mermaid, and Annie for the Kay Meek Theatre's Junior Conservatory Program where he was the residing director for three years. He also had the pleasure of working with his friend and mentor Peter Jorgensen as the Assistant Director on an actor-musician production of Fiddler on the Roof at Persephone Theatre. His other directing credits include Romeo and Juliet (Knockout Theatre), Meet Me Tonight and Marry Me A Little (Square One Entertainment).
With immense belief in the importance of fostering the next generation of artists, Jacob is passionate about his work as an educator and has taught a variety of one-off workshops and several week long courses in a variety of disciplines. To supplement his work as an educator, Jacob is constantly seeking thrilling and unique opportunities to expand upon his own artistic knowledge. He looks toward his coming years in the industry with great excitement - he sees that endless possibilities and undiscovered pathways exist, as do opportunities for collaboration with fantastic artists across Canada, and around the world.
"day turns to day"
~Jason Robert Brown's "13"
~Jason Robert Brown's "13"