About
Staff

Liam (he/him) is the founding and current artistic director of the Single Thread Theatre Company, bringing over 20 years of experience as an immersive theatre director, producer and dramaturg. He is the Artistic Producer of the Kick & Push Festival, which he co-founded in 2015, as well as the Artistic Producer of the Kingston Theatre Alliance. He has trained at Queen’s University, Director’s Lab North, Tarragon Theatre and with Punchdrunk Enrichment in the UK. Liam is a staunch advocate for the Performing Arts Sector in Southeastern Ontario, and currently represents the sector on several advisory committees and working groups, including that of the City of Kingston’s Creative Industries Strategy, the Simcoe County Theatre Festival and the St. Lawrence College Hospitality / Event Management Program.  Recent directing credits include: Unless, a site specific immersive experience produced in Bangkok, Thailand, and Collider, a live VR performance, which was co-presented by foldA and the rEvolver festival in June 2021 and by the SummerWorks Festival and World Stage Design in 2022.

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Catie Thorne (she/her) is a Toronto-based producer, performer, director and writer. She is the artistic director of Sheep’s Clothing Theatre. Catie has collaborated with Canadian Stage, SummerWorks, Netflix and Chimerik. Her artistic vision merges digital media —including graphic design, immersive environments, video editing, and production—with a deep passion for live performance. As a producer, Catie has facilitated the staging of new plays, live performances, short films and comedy shows.

Hannah Beatty (any pronouns) is a multi-disciplinary artist working at the intersection of art, technology, and community. Whether she’s writing immersive narratives, crafting & curating cutting edge online-theatre experiences for isolated communities, or coordinating the next local gaymer meetup, Hannah brings their full positive energy to the project.

Justine Katerenchuk (she/her) specializes in Stage & Production Management of XR performances & events. She is currently based in Toronto where she got her degree in Performance Production & Design. She loves to explore new forms of digital art and uplift artists and creators with similar passions for technology & the arts. Credits: Finding Pandora X with Double Eye Studios, You Should Have Stayed Home with SpiderWebShow, and is the Events & Operations Manager for Single Thread’s Annual PXR Conference.

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Melissa (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist, young reviewer, theatre lover, box office aficionado, and Toronto-born Filipina-Latina woman. She studied at The University of Toronto and earned a degree in biochemistry and linguistics, but her love of theatre outweighed her need for a job in a stable industry. She wants to change the culture of Toronto theatre to be more inclusive and affordable. Her biggest goals are to help the arts in Toronto flourish and to be on Jeopardy.

Nicole Eun-Ju Bell (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist with a passion for performance and technology. She is an XR Artist, Projection Designer and emerging Production Manager. She is interested in work that interrogates the relationship between humans and technology and how tech can alienate us from our bodies. In the XR sphere, beyond being the PXR Venue Producer, she has performed in VR in Collider (Single Thread Theatre, Summerworks) and Uncanny Alley (Ferryman Collective, Venice Biennalle)

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Jake (she/her) is a South Asian-Canadian transfemme who works as a performer, producer, and facilitator. She has performed with companies such as The Stratford Festival, The National Arts Centre, Young People’s Theatre, Clay and Paper Theatre, and Kaeja d’Dance. She trained as an actor at George Brown Theatre School and the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre, and learned how to produce for theatre through interning with Theatre by the Bay. Jake joined Single Thread as the producer of the PXR Conference for 2021 and 2022, and continues to support the company through development and digital strategy. She is passionate about needing inclusive, ethical and care-centred approaches in working environments.

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Myles Steel (He/They) is a VR Developer with a passion for spatial technology. They are currently based in Alberta where they earned their Diploma in Virtual and Augmented Reality Development. Since graduating Myles has been Developing the Aftermath Islands Metaverse and has founded Zoltech Studios to bring more spatialized Industry to Alberta. Myles was also a participant in the PXR 2021 XRtist link up program where they experienced VR Theatre for the first time, and through those actors they saw the joy and experiences that can be created in virtual reality.

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Cole Paskuski (He/Him) is a virtual reality (VR) developer and entrepreneur from Calgary who is passionate about creating immersive VR experiences that enhance storytelling and theatre. Cole’s passion for storytelling and theatre came from his experience during PXR 2021, where he participated in the XR student link-up. He collaborated with middle school students to create a world and story that utilized 3D space in VR. Cole is thrilled to be a part of PXR 2023 and relive the experience that ignited his passion for theatre and storytelling. Coles’s educational background is in Virtual and Augmented Reality development and Entrepreneurship. He completed his schooling at Lethbridge College in 2022, earning a spot on the President’s List and graduating with Honors. Cole is also the co-founder and manager of Zoltech Studios, an XR company based in Alberta specializing in creating immersive VR games and experiences. Zoltech Studios collaborates with the Canadian Media Fund to bring their ideas to fruition.

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Oliver Pitschner (he/him) is playwright, director, arts administrator, and for-now young person based in Toronto. He is a comms specialist, working/having worked with various organizations including Fall for Dance North, the Toronto Fringe, and East End Arts. As of now he is chipping away at his transgressive queer horror play UNION, and when he’s not writing he can usually be found cooking his friends dinner, trying to teach his fiancee Magic: The Gathering, or out dancing to post punk.

Nita Bowerman (she/they) is a multidisciplinary performance-based artist mixing the mediums of dance, acting and media art. Her self-created performances are often hybrid works mixing live action with digital content. Her collaboration credits include performing in live and live digital spaces, including virtual reality. Nita is an experimenter of form and designer of content, creating works for stage, screen and beyond. Nita is a graduate of SFU. She is pleased to coordinate XRtiststs for a second year.

Jacob Loat is a VR performance and culture specialist with a background in theatre, game development, and virtual art. Their primary research area focuses on homuncular flexibility and virtual embodiment in social contexts. They are a Toronto-based freelance artist who has contributed to the development of various XR gallery installations, unique works of VR performance art, and therapeutic applications.

Alex (he/him) had the idea for PXR in a dream shortly after the start of the pandemic- a virtual reality conference where artists could gather to talk about their work in the exciting area of XR. With the help of many incredible people (especially that of the very awesome Aidan Hammond), he was able to make it a reality and now we are trying to do it all again in 2021. This past year Alex collaborated on XR creations with many of the people he met at the first PXR, including Debi Wong, Casey Koyczan, Kiira Benzing, Beth Kates, Gil Garratt and Ian Garrett. He currently works on the writing team for Archiact in Vancouver, BC. He was Artistic Director of Theatre by the Bay in Barrie, Ontario from 2014-2018. His works as a director, playwright and puppeteer have included Caribou Cave (2019), Northern Lights (2018) The Five Points (2017), Turkey Shoot (2016), Firebrand (2014) Alex studied game design at Centre for Entertainment Arts Langara and theatre at George Brown Theatre School and Queen’s University. Alex would like to thank the amazing project team for their dedication to PXR over the last year.