Jena McLean (she/they) is a queer playwright and dramaturg with roots in New Brunswick and Alberta. She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s playwriting program and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Drama studies from Mount Allison University. Jena is the Outreach Coordinator at Theatre New Brunswick.

As a dramaturg, their credits include Noah Deas' 'Mr. Information,' Mara Teare's 'Sad Girls Watch the Princess Bride,' Ryan Wilcox’s 'I Think I Loved You,' Vitta Morales' 'Four Aloof Sleuths,' as well as the collective creations 'Mythes Analogues' and 'To Those Who Wait in Fear' (dir. ahdri zhina mandiela, NTS, 2021.

Jena was recently Theatre New Brunswick's Artist-in-Residence, where they spent time developing their new play 'MFG (Magical Fat Girl)'. Other recent work includes 'How to Give Yourself a [Redacted]', the collective creation 'Mythes Analogues,' and 'Until Tenth Grade' (staged reading, dir. Dean Fleming, Geordie Theatre, 2021).' Her play 'Bonus Points if You Have Air Conditioning' was directed by Andrew Kushnir in 2021 as part of NTS's New Words Festival and later developed in TNB's 2022 Fall Festival of New Plays, with direction and dramaturgy by Kat McCormack. Jena's play 'An Ocean of Evergreens' was directed by Yvette Nolan during TNB's 2020 Fall Festival of New Plays and was later submitted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Jena is driven to create work that is rich with complex roles for queer folks and young women alike. Her plays explore life’s grey areas, personalize the political, and aim to empower people to feel seen in theatre.

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