WRITING

THE DARK LADY - VERTIGO THEATRE - LUNCHBOX THEATRE & THE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

[…] Hill’s writing is so vibrant and compelling, it’s not just easy, but great fun to be won over to her premise. […] Watching this power struggle play out in their courtship is what gives The Dark Lady both its humour and its heart. This is one of those wonderful plays where tears of laughter and joy become tears of pain and sorrow.
Louis B. Hobson - The Calgary Herald

Jessica B. Hill has written a nearly perfect play. The language is a hybrid of modern and classical. The story touches on the universal themes of the Bard’s work. […] The ending is beautiful.
Caroline Russell-King - Calgary Theatre Critic’s Awards Poscard Review

ACTING

THE DARK LADY - SHAKESPEARE IN THE RUINS & SHAKESPEARE ON THE SASKATCHEWAN

Hill’s Bassano and Blais’s Shakespeare own the stage. The snappy banter between them is funny, confident and perfectly matched.
[…] And with this world-premiere production of The Dark Lady, co-produced with Shakespeare in the Ruins, Hill is making her own indelible mark on the Canadian theatre scene.
Julia Peterson - The Star Phoenix

Hill’s spirited, snappy dialogue cracks like a whip throughout, delivered flawlessly by both actors and effectively straddling the worlds of contemporary vernacular […] and poetic odes.
Holly Harris - Winnipeg Free Press

It’s perhaps no surprise that Hill shines as Bassano throughout. Showing a unique mastery of the script she created, Hill attacked every single line with boldness and confidence. Each decision made as a performer was well thought-out, and each line was delivered with silver-tongued precision.
Matt Olson - PodSask

PANDORA - SOLO SHOW - PRAIRIE THEATRE EXCHANGE & SHAKESPEARE IN THE RUINS COPRO

Jessica B. Hill’s Pandora begins each night with an astral projection, and what ensues is an out-of-body experience that has never happened before and never will happen again after.
That is not an exaggeration. Within the first 10 minutes of this stunning, hour-long solo performance — a co-production with Shakespeare in the Ruins — which functions as a curious meditation on science and art, Hill makes that obvious in language so simple that it is impossible to misconstrue as anything but the truth.
The exact combination of people in the audience has never been in the same room, and will never be together in that formation as long as they live.
That is, unless the eminently likeable Hill is wrong. Everything is, and everything isn’t. We are all dead, and we are all alive. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and back again.
[…] What occurs within the box is what Hill’s Pandora refers to as a “shared witnessing of the now.” That now, in Hill’s hands, is often hilarious, otherworldly in its wisdom, and affirming of life on earth as both an eons-long epic and a momentary blip in a grand, ongoing experiment.
As a performer, she modulates her tone and shape to suit the task at hand; each emotion seems to come from a very real place. […]
Ben Waldman - Winnipeg Free Press

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL - STRATFORD FESTIVAL

But with vibrantly detailed performances under the direction of Scott Wentworth, the Stratford production turns the problems into assets. Bertram (Jordin Hall) isn’t frivolous; on the brink of manhood, he’s terrified of being trapped by his past. Likewise, Helen (Jessica B. Hill) draws on the anguish, verging on rage, that is the other side of a crush. That you want the best for both of them.
Jesse Greene - The New York Times

Jessica B. Hill’s Helen, along with her turn as Lady Anne in Richard III, cements her claim to becoming one of the Festival’s most reliable leading ladies.
Kelly Monaghan - Ontario Stage

The luminous Hill is captivating in the intensity of her adoring gaze on Bertram, who’s clearly fond of her as a sort-of adoptive sister but doesn’t see her as a woman.
Karen Fricker - The Star

RICHARD III - STRATFORD FESTIVAL

He stops Lady Anne (a wonderful Jessica B. Hill) on her way to bury her husband by wooing her. As Anne, Jessica B. Hill is both aghast and reviled. But when Richard urges her to kill him since she is so furious at him, she is conflicted. Jessica B. Hill takes Lady Anne through such an emotional journey in this one scene, it’s full of rage, grief, despair and pity. She knows she is doomed too, and that is heartbreaking.
Lynn Slotkin - The Passionate Playgoer

Another standout is Jessica B. Hill, who is heartbreaking as Lady Anne, who descends into despair after she is manipulated into marrying Richard.
Lauren Gienow - Broadway World Toronto

The women in this production are top-notch artists whose work I’ve admired. Jessica B. Hill’s work as Lady Anne, widowed daughter-in-law of the murdered King Henry remained intensely captivating.
Joe Szekeres - Our Theatre Voice

I was especially taken by Jessica B. Hill’s Lady Anne, one of the best I can remember seeing. Now in her seventh season with the Festival, she is coming into her own as a fine Shakespearean actor. She shows every promise of becoming a worthy successor to Peacock and McKenna. Let’s hope the Festival continues to nurture her growth as an artist.
Kelly Monaghan - Ontario Stage

MOTHER’S DAUGHTER - STRATFORD FESTIVAL

Jessica B. Hill keeps her roles as Bess and as Anne Boleyn so distinct that only when I read the programme after the show did I realize the same actor played both. Her Bess is just as cynical and bold as her Anne is sincere and unpretentious.
Christopher Hoile - Stage Door

In possibly the most impressive acting performance, Jessica B. Hill doubles as both Mary’s sister Elizabeth (or “Bess”) and Bess’ mother Anne Boleyn. Hill’s Bess fluctuates between snarkiness and sincerity, fear and loyalty, leaving the audience to wonder if she’s truly capable of the conspiratorial plot that Catherine is determined she’s scheming, or if she’s just a concerned younger sister. In the flashback scenes she brings a cunning, sexual energy to Anne Boleyn that makes you double-take when realizing she was portraying Bess moments previously.
Colin Fleming-Stumpf - Buffalo Theatre Guide

Taylor’s Mary and Jessica B. Hill’s Bess are beautifully etched as politically astute figures, keenly aware of the national ramifications of their often poorly concealed battle for supremacy alongside far-reaching consequences beyond British boundaries into Spain, France and throughout Europe. Both are volatile, prone to explosive displays and aware of the changing facets of warfare, essentially no better or worse than their male counterparts.
Geoff Dale - National Post

Ms. Hennig’s taut script of quick-witted dialogue and rapid-fire conversations is finely accentuated by Alan Dilworth’s smart direction and aided by terrific performances, especially those of Irene Poole, Shannon Taylor and Jessica B. Hill. These three ladies are riveting..
Joe Szekeres - On Stage blog

Shannon Taylor is our new Mary, and Jessica B. Hill portrays both Bess and her mother Anne. Both actresses make the roles their own and build on the brilliant foundations that their predecessors had laid out for their characters. In this play, Jessica B. Hill gives us a Bess who is certainly equally as cunning and measured as she puts her ambitions and beliefs aside in order to try to avoid being seen as a threat to her sister's thrown. We also see her exasperation when Mary doubts her. It is never clear exactly what Bess' main goals are, but it does seem evident that the love she has for her sister is very real, and Hill is excellent at portraying Bess' hurt when Mary questions this and doubts her motives (even though history says she is warranted in doing so!).
Lauren Gienow - Broadway World

BRONTË: THE WORLD WITHOUT - STRATFORD FESTIVAL

The cast is talented – with Hill, in particular, bringing an on-the-edge element to the character of Emily.
J. Kelly Nestruck – Globe and Mail

Jessica B. Hill’s raw-nerved Emily is the most driven of the sisters and also, in this admirable performance, the most fragile and vulnerable. 
Jamie Portman, Capital Critics Circle

Jessica B. Hill is equal to the task of getting to the root core of the elusive Emily, a lover of nature known for her one novel, the classically sombre Wuthering Heights. [...] Initially unwilling to publish her work, she was often a solitary figure, even when with her sisters, plagued by innumerable frailties physical, emotional and intellectual, all of which are caught in Hill’s finely etched performance.
Geoff Dale, London Free Press

As Emily, Jessica B. Hill takes on the challenge or portraying a bit of an enigma. There is limited information out there about the reclusive author of "Wuthering Heights" and there are some who believe that the information that is available is a sort of re-imagining of Emily by Charlotte. The choice is made in this production to explore Emily's struggle with anxiety. She has a panic attack when she discovers that her sister has read her poetry, and based on how her sisters react, we are to assume that she has struggled with this before. There is also mention of her becoming ill whenever she has tried to leave home for a period of time. It is interesting that when Emily has a coughing fit due to Tuberculosis later in the play, it initially presents quite similarly to her panic attack-perhaps causing some confusion to her siblings about what is actually wrong. The way this is presented amplifies the idea that throughout her entire life, Emily was plagued with struggles and health issues that those around her did not quite understand. Hill's portrayal of Emily is that of a tortured yet brilliant and loving soul who writes because she has to-to the point where she does not even (initially) need to have her work seen by anyone.
Lauren Gienow, Broadway World

Though Emily (Jessica B. Hill) is by far the most compelling sister in both perspective and performance…
Kelly Bedard, My Entertainment World

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS - STRATFORD FESTIVAL

Shortly thereafter, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse also in Ephesus [...] - and , in Loughran's production, the two are played by the fine young actors Jessica B. Hill and Beryl Bain.
J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail

The fully committed company is delightfully good. The two sets of twins at the centre of the play are Antipholus of Syracuse (Jessica B. Hill) and Antipholus of Ephesus (Qasim Khan) and Dromio of Syracuse (Beryl Bain) and Dromio of Ephesus (Josue Laboucane). In this production, each set of twins has a male and a female, and the females have disguised themselves as their male brothers. All four actors are excellent and play well off of one another as each character is constantly being confused for his or her twin.
Lauren Gienow, Broadway World

Jessica B. Hill is a brilliant Antipholus of Syracuse paired well with better-than-average believable confusability with Qasim Khan…
Kelly Bedard, My Entertainment World

Hill, in particular, is delightfully capable of the physical comedy required for the role, as well as the wide-eyed wonder, and sometimes horror, at the events that unfold around her.
Lukas Ridge, LWOS.Life

There are others delights on show like [...] the intriguing. albeit somewhat mistaken, flirtatious scenes between Antipholus of Syracuse (Jessica B. Hill) and Adriana’s sister Luciana (Amelia Sargisson) that keeps the audience buzzing with apprehension.
Geoff Dale, The Beacon Herald
 
While Hill and Bain are engaging as the more thoughtful pair..
Karen Fricker, The Toronto Star

THE CHANGELING - Stratford Festival

"This is all well acted, with Hill and Campbell giving particularly strong performances [...]"
J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail

"Ironically, the most rewarding scenes involve a sub-plot set in an asylum where a character named  Antonio feigns madness in order to become a patient and gain greater access to Isabella, the wife of a resident doctor. [...] Jessica B. Hill, at ease with the language of the play, gives us an Isabella with a feisty sense of self-worth."
Jamie Portman, Capital Critics Circle

"Jessica B. Hill traces Isabella’s change in feeling toward Antonio from outrage to love to rejection with full psychological clarity to make her seem by the play’s end the only sensible person left."
Christopher Hoile, Stage Door

TIMON OF ATHENS - Stratford Festival

"[...] and - later a poolside bimbo (Jessica B. Hill devours the part with salacious aplomb) a further chance to raise the blood pressure of the patrons on both sides of the proverbial footlights.
James Wegg, JWR

BUNNY - Stratford Festival

"[...] Krystin Pellerin as Maggie adds another to the production’s roster of fine performances. (As does Jessica B. Hill in the late-arriving role of Maggie’s daughter.)"
Robert Cushman, National Post

ALL MY SONS - Stratford Festival

"Rodrigo Beilfuss and Jessica B. Hill are also comic figures as Frank and Lydia Lubey, rather like Ed and Trixie Norton in the old television show The Honeymooners."
Christopher Hoile, Stage Door

"[...] some newer faces – Jessica B Hill, Lanise Antoine Shelley and Roderigo Beilfuss – all give character depictions that promise a bright future on Festival stages."
Robyn L. Godfrey, The Bard and the Boards

THE ALCHEMIST - Stratford Festival

"Jessica B. Hill and Jamie Mac bring freshness to their portrayals of a rich, young widow and her yokel brother."
J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail

"As for the other marks (or victims) they include a slew of memorable performances: Steve Ross's earnestly naïve Abel (poor guy, your heart goes out to him); Wayne Best, again showing off some comic chops as the skeptical Surly; and Jessica B. Hill, as Dame Pliant -who may not have much to say, but makes up for it in fiesty, flouncy action."
Robyn L. Godfrey, The Bard and the Boards

"Hill [...] uses the uninflected tones of a Southern Ontarian teenager and certainly doesn't reflect, even superficially, the kind of restraint one might expect of a widow."
Christopher Hoile, Stage Door
 

LES ZINSPIRÉS - Théâtre Français de Toronto

"La pièce Heartbreaker était drôle presque à chaque instant, je dirais même que grâce à son humour, cette pièce était de qualité supérieure (…)"
Marie-Claure Malette, Enseignante
École secondaire catholique Monseigneur de Charbonnel
 

THE PLAY'S THE THING - The Segal Centre

"There are times when this is exactly what happens, most notably when the stage is filled with Jessica Hill or Michael Rudder, playing a pompous would-be Casanova. Both Hill and Rudder bring the right speed and energy to the show, finding the perfect balance between realism and the heightened reality of the comedic world. Hill is fast becoming one of our best young stars and she does a good job showing us why. It’s especially impressive to see her holding her own against a veteran like Rudder – Hill manages deftly to keep him from stealing every scene they’re in."
Alex Woolcott, The Rover

"Jessica B. Hill flutters nicely as the alluring if slightly dizzy ingénue, and the only woman in the show."
Alidor Aucoin, The Metropolitain
 

TITUS ANDRONICUS - Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company

"Christopher Moore as Titus, Jessica B. Hill as Tamora and Jaa Smith Johnson as Aaron all offer strong performances."
Rachel Zuroff, The Charlebois Post
 

JOE LOUIS : AN AMERICAN ROMANCE - Infinitheatre

"Jessica Hill, portraying Lena Horne, was a highlight of the play, conveying both tenderness and disgust with equal parts believability and grace."
Jessica Alley, Forget The Box.net

"Playing opposite him [Samuel Platel] as Lena Horne, is McGill graduate Jessica B. Hill. When she comes on stage, it's hard to ignore her presence, control, and detailed performance.  The two younger actors are definite talent to look out for in the coming years."
Thea Fitz-James, The McGill Tribune
 

JEHANNE OF THE WITCHES - Tableau d'Hôte

"Jessica Hill gives a terrific performance as Jehanne, a pious medieval adolescent who won't listen to her pagan mom and runs away from home to lead the French army to victory and to install Charles VII as king." 
Matt Radz, The Gazette

"Jessica B. Hill inhabits her role as Jehanne with raw innocent wonder, at times crippled by floundering faith, inevitably driven by fatalistic resolve." 
Christina Manolescu, Invisible Cities Network
 

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST - McGill Moyse Hall

"Jessica B. Hill is flawless as the sophisticated, pretentious, and utterly superficial Gwendolen."
Sarah Duplancic, The McGill Daily

"Hill's strong portrayal of Gwendolen lends the role a certain steeliness while maintaining Gwendolen's obvious affection for Jack - a tough balance to pull off. Her excellent sense of timing injects energy into the scenes filled with fast-paced banter."
Theo Meyer, The McGill Tribune
 

THE LADY SMITH - Black Theatre Workshop

"If you need a reason to go see The Lady Smith, Black Theatre Workshop’s current offering, I’ll give you two: Jessica B. Hill and Lucinda Davis. [...] I didn't know what she could do as an actor until last Thursday night. Hill is absolutely natural as Holly, a young aspiring artist whose bravado thinly masks her vulnerability. [...] Like Hill, Davis has that thing, that spark that is so hard to define but that you recognize as soon as you see it in an actor. Playing best friends and roommates in Andrew Moodie’s play set in contemporary Toronto, Davis and Hill are perfectly cast." 
Amy Barratt, The Mirror
 

ROUGH CROSSING - McGill Players Theatre

"Pohotsky's adaptation contains some of the best acting you will see in a student production. The ability of Hill to flicker betwen good acting and her character's own robotic performance is particularly commendable." 
Clare Pidsley, The McGill Tribune
 

BEYOND THERAPY - McGill Players Theatre

"The production's most enjoyable moments are provided by the insane but lovable character Charlotte Wallace, whose habit of substituting the word "porpoise" for the word "patient", and devotion to her stuffed Snoopy doll, never lose their comic impact. Jessica Hill's stellar performance is mostly to thank for this treat. Hill, along with Tom Hays in the role of Bob, seems to be the only actor in Beyond Therapy genuinely inhabiting her role. Hays and Hill turn in impressive performances: the honesty with which they imbue their characters provides an immediate point of audience identification."  
Benjamin Sutton, The McGill Daily

"One of the more notable performances is that of Jessica Hill, U2 English, who plays the loony therapist Dr. Wallace with ease and all the necessary comedic eccentricity."  
Pamela Fillion, The McGill Tribune
 

TRAGIC PROTEST: THREE ANTIGONES - McGill Players Theatre

"Antigone est jouée merveilleusement par Jessica B. Hill, une comédienne qui n'en est qu'à sa première année à McGill, mais déjà à sa deuxième présentation au Théâtre Players, donc attendez-vous à la revoir souvent!" 
Émilie Beauchamp, Le Délit de McGill