Liam Karry, Artistic Director
Liam is the founding and current Artistic Director of Single Thread with 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, and the Kingston Theatre Alliance. Liam represents the performing arts sector in southeastern Ontario on advisory committees and working groups, including the City of Kingston’s Creative Industries Strategy. Other sector service initiatives he has co-founded include a masterclass series, a regional performance blog, a playlab, and a VR equipment library to serve emerging artists. He trained at Queen’s University, Director’s Lab North, Tarragon Theatre and with Punchdrunk Enrichment in the UK.
Jake Runeckles, XR Producer
Jake is the Single Thread XR Producer. She is a theatre maker, musician, coding enthusiast, and advocate for positive change. A studious kid, Jake began training in classical piano when she was 4 years old, and as a teenager, outside of their devotion to maths, sciences, and programming, she developed a love for musicals. She trained as an actor at George Brown Theatre School, and the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre. In addition to acting, she has worked as a playwright, a producer, and as a musician for companies such as Cahoots Theatre, Clay and Paper Theatre, and Theatre by the Bay. Selected acting credits include The Neverending Story, Henry VIII (Stratford Festival); I and You (Outlook Theatre); The Secret Garden (Young People’s Theatre).
Justine Katerenchuk, Production Manager
Justine 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 Performance) and Skits and Giggles (Double Eye Studios), which premiered at the Raindance Festival.
Amanda Lin, PXR Producer
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 a graduate of Queen’s University, where she studied social psychology, theatre, and business, with her area of research centring on attitudes and social influence. She is interested in using art and storytelling to cultivate compassionate and dynamic communities. Amanda is an alumni of Nightwood Theatre’s Young Innovators Program and fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre’s Kitchen Playwriting unit. She 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. You can currently find Amanda producing the PXR Conference with Single Thread Theatre Company and leading Nightwood Theatre’s emerging artist programs, Nightwood Innovators and Rising Moon. 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 Oustanding Performance for Amanda and Outstanding Production. In her free time, Amanda likes to drink bubble tea and play video games.
Artistic collaborators
Board members
Samantha Vu, PXR Producer
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.
Aimee Bouchard
Aimee (she/her) is an arts administrator, artist educator and Ontario Certified Teacher. Aimee works as the Learning Coordinator in the English Theatre at the National Arts Centre. Prior to that, she was the Community Programs Manager at Young People’s Theatre. She is a member of the board of the Professional Arts Organizations Network for Education and represents Canada within the ASSITEJ International Inclusive Arts Network. She co-founded Colliding Scopes Theatre in Kingston, has co-created immersive theatre experiences with Single Thread Theatre Company and Salon Theatre, and has spent time learning from Punchdrunk Enrichment in the UK.
Julia Dickson
Julia (she/her) is a performing arts manager, educator, and producer with a passion for creating supportive spaces that prioritize the artists behind the art and their working experience, working to eliminate the barriers for audiences and for artists to experience live performance. She is currently the General Manager of the Paprika Theatre Festival, which is a professional development program and Festival for young and emerging artists, and the Managing Producer for ARC, an ensemble based theatre company. Julia has worked with companies such as Why Not Theatre, 1s1 Theatre, Studio 180, Single Thread Theatre Company, Young People's Theatre, and County Stage. She has a post-graduate certificate in Arts Administration and Cultural Management from Humber College, and a Bachelor of Education with a focus on Artist in the Community Education from Queen’s University. Julia will never say no to an ice-cream run.
Lindsey Higgs, Board chair
Lindsey (she/her) is a founding member of Single Thread. She produced Single Thread’s first international projects in Bangkok, including the city’s first solo audience immersive theatre experience with Ambrose (2018), followed by Unless 2019).
Lindsey has contributed to social and behaviour change communication projects around the world, including the design and facilitation of trainings and workshops incorporating theatre and improv. She is the founder of Sage + Spark, a creative engagement agency that works primarily with the United Nations across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Alex Dault
Alex (he/him) is a founding member of Single Thread Theatre Company. He is a game designer and producer currently working as a narrative designer for VR games at Archiact Interactive 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), and Firebrand (2014). Alex studied at George Brown Theatre School, Queen's University, and at École Philippe Gaulier.
Jonathan Langley
Jon (he/him) is a founding member of Single Thread Theatre Company. He works primarily as a director and fight director and has been directing site-specific theatre since 2003.
He has directed several Single Thread productions, including: Julius Caesar, Single Thread’s first site-specific production, ROME at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Much Ado About Nothing at the Spadina Historic House and Garden, The Loyalists with Historic Fort York and as Resident Emerging Artist Company at Canadian Stage, and Firebrand at the Mackenzie House Museum.
Jonathan currently lives in Toronto where he practices commercial and civil litigation.