Jesse Hinson is an educator, actor, and violence/intimacy choreographer originally from Gainesville, Florida. A proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has acted professionally at numerous regional theaters including SpeakEasy Stage, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Central Square Theatre, Boston Playwright’s Theater, and Actors’ Shakespeare Project where he is a member of their Resident Acting Company.
Recent productions include: A Case for the Existence of God, Romeo and Juliet (2025 Elliot Norton Award Nominee for Excellence in Sound Design), Macbeth, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Cymbeline, The Thanksgiving Play, Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley, Photograph 51, The Merchant of Venice, Incels and Other Myths, Shakespeare in Love, As You Like It, Exit the King, Arcadia, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, King Henry VI Part 2, Morality Play, The Comedy of Errors, Pericles, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, The Whipping Man, Seminar, The Puppetmaster of Lodz, Moonchildren, and The Einstein Project.
Jesse is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a black belt in Wado Ryu karate, and is a two-time Florida state champion in fighting. He is certified by the Society of American Fight Directors and collaborates with theatre companies to build moments of staged violence that are both impactful for audiences and safe for actors. As an intimacy choreographer, he has trained with Theatrical Intimacy Education and worked for The Huntington Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Stage, Central Square Theatre, and The Lyric Stage Company.
Jesse earned his BA in Theatre from Oglethorpe University and an MFA in Acting from Brandeis University where he also served on the faculty following his graduation. He has been a guest teacher at Boston University, The Boston Conservatory, Concord Academy, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and the American Repertory Theater’s MXAT Program at Harvard University.
Professional Experience
- Actor: Jaxton in The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa Fasthorse, directed by Scott Edmiston. The Lyric Stage Company, 2019.
- Actor: Iachimo in Cymbeline by William Shakespeare, directed by Fred Sullivan. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, 2019.
- Actor: Don Caspar in Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler, directed by Rebecca Bradshaw. The Nora Theatre Company, 2019.
- Actor: Ned Alleyn in Shakespeare in Love by Lee Hall, directed by Scott Edmiston. SpeakEasy Stage Company, 2018.
- Actor: Charles/Phoebe in As You Like It by William Shakespeare, directed by Tony Estrella and Rachel Walshe. The Gamm Theatre, 2018.
- Actor: Fitzwilliam Darcy in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Sean Daniels. Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 2018.
- Actor: Caliban in The Tempest by William Shakespeare, directed by Allyn Burrows. Actors’ Shakespeare Project, 2017.
- Actor: Queen Marie in Exit the King by Eugène Ionesco, translated by Donald Watson, directed by Dmitry Troyanovsky. Actors’ Shakespeare Project, 2017.
- Actor: Valentine Coverly in Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, directed by Fred Sullivan Jr. The Gamm Theatre, 2016.
- Actor: Polixenes in The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, directed by Fred Sullivan, 2016.
- Actor: Camillo and The Clown in The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, directed by Allyn Burrows. Actors’ Shakespeare Project, 2015.
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Actor: Henry in King Henry VI: Part 2 by William Shakespeare, directed by Tina Packer. Actors’ Shakespeare Project, 2015.
- Actor: Nicholas in Morality Play by Barry Unsworth, directed by Tony Estrella. The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, 2015.
- Actor: Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare, directed by David Gammons. Actors’ Shakespeare Project, 2014.
- Actor: Caleb in The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, directed by Benny Ambush. New Repertory Theatre, 2014.
- Actor: Orlando in As You Like It by William Shakespeare, directed by Robert Walsh. Actors’ Shakespeare Project, 2014.
Departments
Theatre
Education
- MFA in Acting, Brandeis University
- BA in Theatre, Oglethorpe University
Awards
- 2023 CAMD High Impact Teacher
- 2025 Elliot Norton Award Nominee
Research Focus
- Stage Combat
- Intimacy Choreography
- Shakespeare
- Improvisation
- Movement
Professional Affiliations
• Actors’ Equity Association
• Resident Company Member – Actors’ Shakespeare Project
• Society of American Fight Directors
• Pacific Performance Project
Courses Taught
- Acting 1
- Acting 3
- Stage Combat
- Movement
- Introduction to Acting
- Improvisation
- Introduction to Theatre at Northeastern
