Board Members
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Staff
- Jenn Deon - Producing Artistic Director - [email protected]
- Ruth Lawrence - Senior Playwright in Residence

Jenn Deon - Producing Artistic Director (she/her)
A woman of French settler and British mixed heritage, Jenn is an artist, administrator and activist who has worked in St. John’s since the early 90’s. With PerSIStence, she has directed Robert Chafe's Isle of Demons (2017); Berni Stapleton's The Haunting of Margaret Duley (2019); Trudy Morgan-Cole's The Mirror (2021); and Lonni Patey's Today I (2024). As artistic director with the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival from 1995-2015, she directed many of its productions over the years, including a female-driven production of The Taming of the Shrew (2014) and an all-female production of Much Ado About Nothing (2008).
A woman of French settler and British mixed heritage, Jenn is an artist, administrator and activist who has worked in St. John’s since the early 90’s. With PerSIStence, she has directed Robert Chafe's Isle of Demons (2017); Berni Stapleton's The Haunting of Margaret Duley (2019); Trudy Morgan-Cole's The Mirror (2021); and Lonni Patey's Today I (2024). As artistic director with the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival from 1995-2015, she directed many of its productions over the years, including a female-driven production of The Taming of the Shrew (2014) and an all-female production of Much Ado About Nothing (2008).

Ruth Lawrence - Senior Playwright in Residence (she/her)
RUTH LAWRENCE is an actor/writer/director/producer of film and theatre, based in St. John’s, NL. As a filmmaker, Ruth’s feature films include Little Orphans (Best Canadian Feature, Whistler Film Festival 2020), Hopeless Romantic (2018), and the comedy feature, Party Pirate, sold-out its opening Gala overnight at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival in October 2023. Her documentaries A Lot of Love in the Room (2021) and Circus by Komatik (2019) have been featured on CBC Gem. She has directed, written, and/or produced on over 70 short films and webisodes.
She co-founded White Rooster Theatre with Sherry White in 2001 and was its Artistic Director until 2023, producing plays written by women and other marginalized genders. The company expanded its mandate to provide opportunities in the areas of design and production, keeping space for racialized creators. For the company, she has produced over 30 shows, directed Happy Anniversary (co-produced with TODOS Productions) Remnants, and created Other Women Walk. Most recently, she co-wrote and performed in Song Seekers: The Story of Elisabeth Greenleaf and Grace Mansfield. For Persistence Theatre, she directed an acclaimed production of Berni Stapleton’s Offensive to Some. For Opera on the Avalon, she directed Three Decembers and the 2023 premiere of February, based on Lisa Moore’s remarkable novel.
Ruth’s honours include the Joan Orenstein Best Actress Award, the RBC Michelle Jackson Award for Emerging Filmmaker, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Artist of the Year, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the YWCA Woman of Distinction, a WIFT-AT WAVE Award, the national Leslie Yeo Award for Volunteerism, and the inaugural Ross Leslie Award for her contributions to film and theatre.
RUTH LAWRENCE is an actor/writer/director/producer of film and theatre, based in St. John’s, NL. As a filmmaker, Ruth’s feature films include Little Orphans (Best Canadian Feature, Whistler Film Festival 2020), Hopeless Romantic (2018), and the comedy feature, Party Pirate, sold-out its opening Gala overnight at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival in October 2023. Her documentaries A Lot of Love in the Room (2021) and Circus by Komatik (2019) have been featured on CBC Gem. She has directed, written, and/or produced on over 70 short films and webisodes.
She co-founded White Rooster Theatre with Sherry White in 2001 and was its Artistic Director until 2023, producing plays written by women and other marginalized genders. The company expanded its mandate to provide opportunities in the areas of design and production, keeping space for racialized creators. For the company, she has produced over 30 shows, directed Happy Anniversary (co-produced with TODOS Productions) Remnants, and created Other Women Walk. Most recently, she co-wrote and performed in Song Seekers: The Story of Elisabeth Greenleaf and Grace Mansfield. For Persistence Theatre, she directed an acclaimed production of Berni Stapleton’s Offensive to Some. For Opera on the Avalon, she directed Three Decembers and the 2023 premiere of February, based on Lisa Moore’s remarkable novel.
Ruth’s honours include the Joan Orenstein Best Actress Award, the RBC Michelle Jackson Award for Emerging Filmmaker, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Artist of the Year, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the YWCA Woman of Distinction, a WIFT-AT WAVE Award, the national Leslie Yeo Award for Volunteerism, and the inaugural Ross Leslie Award for her contributions to film and theatre.