Q&A: Hybrid conference explores the potential of VR theatre in Canada

A conference exploring digital and mixed-reality Canadian performance is happening in Vancouver. 

And Kingston. 

And Toronto. 

And online.

Across these settings, Single Thread Theatre’s Performance and Extended Realities Conference (PXR) features a mix of live performances, interactive digital presentations, and technical deep dives, as well as virtual and in-person installations.

With PXR about to kick off its sixth annual edition, Intermission connected with Single Thread’s XR producer Catie Thorne and associate XR producer Hannah Beatty to hear about the inner workings of this wide-ranging event. 

Their emailed answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

PXR2026 takes place both in-person and digitally. How does this mix of settings work — and why is it important to the conference’s mission?

Hannah Beatty (HB): PXR2026 is hosted on the social VR platform VRChat, and accessible at in-person Hubs across Canada. This means that you can come to an in-person Hub — Vancouver’s VIVO Media Arts Centre, Kingston’s Modern Fuel, or Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille — to access the programming, community, and technology. This also means you can tune in from your PC [with no special gear required], or on the couch in your VR headset with your cat on your lap, or on the VRChat app.

This hybrid model allows us to platform works that use augmented reality and/or mixed reality, such as Triadic Mutualism by Ove Holmqvist, which connects our three Hub cities through a responsive audiovisual world, or AWAKE & STILL DROWNING by Dustin Harvey, which pulls audiences together in real-life spaces and extends realities as you navigate climate crisis as a unified flock of sea birds. 

What is the conference’s primary audience?

Catie Thorne (CT): This conference primarily appeals to two main audiences — one being people who work in extended reality (XR), anyone who uses or is interested in these technologies. The other is the theatre-makers who are interested in implementing these technologies in their practices. 

But on a base level, this conference is for anyone and everyone. You can engage with PXR by attending every single presentation, or you can see one show in VR and call it a day. The world of live performance in XR is an ocean and we’re giving you the chance to dip your toes in.

Which events are you particularly excited for, and why?

HB: I’m excited for Fridays at the Hubs. On opening night — Friday, February 20 — attendees will get the first peek at the PXR2026 worldbuild, and live-mixed DJ/video-jockey tracks to dance to. It’s a great offering for folks that are newer to the world of XR, because you can buy a Friday Hubs pass without having to commit to a whole conference pass.

On the second weekend of PXR2026, the XR Theatre Educators Panel is a highlight for me. Practical discourse on how theatre-makers are implementing and exploring XR always gets me feeling so inspired! As well, I’d recommend snagging a ticket to the show Symbiosis/Dysbiosis, making its Canadian debut. Fusing live performance, immersive VR, human EEG, and music co-performed with living fungal mycelium, the work is exquisite. Oh, and you can literally visit the mushrooms at a Hub. Come say hi to the fungi.

Your website lists a couple of other initiatives, including something called the Student XRtist Link-Up — can you share a little about those?

CT: Of course! These initiatives are integral to the work we do. 

For XRtist Link-Up, we partner with post-secondary institutions across Canada to bring their students into a week-long intensive where they create an original work of VR theatre under the guidance of professional artists. Theatre in VR is a limitless medium — you can fly, you can stage a show on the moon, you can literally execute your wildest dreams — and these students understand that. If you’re interested in seeing this year’s cohort, supported by the University of Victoria, you can catch both shows on the final day of the conference. 

We also support the IBPOC Fellowship, a program that was conceived along with the conference and has been in operation since its inception. In the past we’ve been able to provide participants with headsets, free access to the conference, networking events, hands-on workshops, and tailored mentorship from industry professionals. This year, we were lucky enough to receive the support of the Canada Media Fund and the National Arts Centre to expand the program and provide additional support. 

What concrete outcomes have resulted from PXR’s past five iterations?

CT: Since 2020, over 1,500 people have attended and over $500,000 has been paid to artists. We’ve been able to distribute over 120 headsets to artists across Canada, including 24 to remote northern communities. 

We’ve also seen the nurturing of emergent talents. Our worldbuilding team is composed of two graduates of the XRtist Link-Up; past fellowship participants have gone on to work professionally in XR and establish their own XR studios. 

More than these concrete achievements, we see the communities we reach broaden, and every year we get to take more risks with our programming. Some of the work that is programmed as part of PXR2026 is the type of thing that the team could only dream of in 2020. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see these dreams come to fruition.

PXR 2026 runs until March 1. More information is available here.

Single Thread Theatre is an Intermission partner. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.

WRITTEN BY

Liam Donovan

Liam is Intermission’s senior editor. He lives in Toronto.

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