About
Staff

Game and Event Producer with 3+ years in the games industry. When I’m not working on game projects, I’m either organizing game events, playing games, or doing anything else game-related!

Amanda Lin 林美智 (she/her) is a queer Taiwanese-Canadian theatre artist who specializes in writing, performance, direction, and arts admin. She is interested in using art and storytelling to cultivate compassionate and dynamic communities. Amanda has worked with companies such as Nightwood Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Why Not Theatre, the Paprika Festival, and Young People’s Theatre, and has appeared on panels and participated in juries with the Toronto Fringe, Against the Grain Theatre, and the Ontario Arts Council. Her first full-length play, Between a Wok and a Hot Pot premiered with Cahoots Theatre in January 2023 and received 6 Dora nominations in the Independent category, including Outstanding Performance for Amanda and Outstanding Production. In her free time, Amanda likes to lie on the floor.

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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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Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Debbie is a Creative Technologist, living in Toronto Canada. As the CEO/Founder of her multi-media companies Debbie Deer Productions and Orion Digital Innovations and Creations Inc., she collaborates as a Producer, Performer and Educator. She studied Psychology at The University of The West Indies (Jamaica) and Radio and TV Production at Toronto Metro University formerly Ryerson University (Toronto). Debbie’s work has been featured at The Next Stage Summit Los Angeles, VRTO, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Toronto International Film Festival (Deep Focus), Luminato Festival, Center for Social Innovation, Blockobana and selected for the Toronto Fringe Festival. She is currently the Director for the Performance and XR Conference IBPOC XR Fellowship, championing the program’s curriculum and visibility. As an educator, Debbie has made XR curriculums for York University and Georgian College. Debbie was recently invited to speak at the SHE Gathervse conference and has been featured in the Atlanta publication, Voyage Atalnta for her entrepreneurship endeavours.

Justine (she/her) specializes in Stage and Production Management of XR performances & events. She is currently based in Toronto where she earned her degree in Performance Production & Design. She works remotely and manages shows through a variety of social VR platforms. She loves to explore and uplift digital art. Some VR works she has Stage and Production Managed include Collider (Single Thread Theatre Company), Finding Pandora X (Double Eye Studios), You Should Have Stayed Home (SpiderWebShow) and Skits and Giggles (Double Eye Studios) which premiered in Fall 2022 at the Raindance Festival.

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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.

Samantha (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and producer. Growing up in the beautiful mountain lined town of Calgary, Alberta, Samantha fostered a love for all things performance from a very young age. Samantha is passionate about theatre, technology and the possibilities of performance through a futuristic lens. She has been fortunate to work for some amazing companies like Cahoots Theatre, The Theatre Centre, Modern Times Theatre and is so excited to be the XR Producer for Single Thread. Aside from performing Samantha is an avid creator, she loves film, photography, music, exploring the world, making delicious food and taking lots of naps.

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Nicole (she/her) is a Toronto based, mixed-race, multidisciplinary artist with a passion for performance and technology. Among other things, she is a projection designer, stage manager, production manager, and XR artist. She’s worked with companies like Theatre Passe Muraille, Soulpepper, Tarragon, Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, Single Thread Theatre Company, The A.M.Y Project.  She has curated and presented work at international and local festivals including: Prague Quadrennial, Next Stage, Summerworks, Luminato, and Toronto Fringe.  Upcoming projects: Catch her projection design for White Muscle Daddy at Buddies in Bad Times in March. She is also part of the creative team for JANE, a new work in development.

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Jake (they/them) is the XR Producer for Single Thread, and has produced ColliderVR, PXR2021 and PXR2022. They trained in producing at Theatre by the Bay’s Indie Producer’s Co-op in 2017. Jake is also an actor and musician, having trained at George Brown Theatre School, the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre, and studied with Grace Scott through the Royal Conservatory of Music. In 2021, Jake partook in Musical Stage Company’s Noteworthy Cohort as a composer and lyricist. Jake has worked as an actor for two seasons at the Stratford Festival, has participated as a playwright for Cahoots Theatre’s Hot House Unit, and collaborated with Young People’s Theatre, Clay and Paper Theatre, and the Toronto Fringe. Selected acting credits include The Neverending Story, Henry VIII (Stratford Festival); I and You (Outlook Theatre); The Secret Garden (Young People’s Theatre).

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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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Allie Amplify (she/they) is a Black, MAD artist, activist and educator living in Toronto , with a diverse background in both marketing and the arts. In addition to her work at PXR she is currently the Communications Designer at Outside the March. Her artistic practice, although it takes many forms, has always been centered around community and education. Allie is the Creative Director & Designer of Amplify Collective, a wearable art, performance and advocacy organization.

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.