
Photos from ACTIVE ACCESS DESIGN EARLY RESEARCH: DIRECTION & DESIGNERS Conceived by Jack Paterson with Anika Vervecken, Paul D. Power (disability, Deaf and MAD Arts) and Hannah Siden

The Creative Hub is intended to reduce barriers for performing arts creators to engage in artistic exploration that is ultimately geared towards public engagement. It’s a home for the arts—where artists get the chance to connect with each other, PHT, and the wider community.
Through the Creative Hub, artists from various disciplines use our spaces, develop their projects, and share skills and knowledge. This model has transformed how PHT collaborates with artists and continues to evolve and grow.
Presentation House Theatre’s Creative Hub is made up of two programs: Creative Residency and Energy Exchange.
Artists who apply to the Creative Hub Energy Exchange will be engaged in the program for 1 year.
Applications for the Creative Hub Energy Exchange program are currently open and accepted on a rolling deadline.

The Energy Exchange is intended for artists to receive free rehearsal, development, creation, and production space at Presentation House Theatre in exchange for volunteer hours. The projects can vary in size, art form and level of creation and development. The projects are intended to be independently produced and owned by the artist.
Goals for the Program
- To provide artists with the opportunity to receive free space (subject to availability) for their project in exchange for volunteer time.
- For artists to have a sense of ownership over their project. Hub projects are not a part of Presentation House Theatre’s programming, which allows the artists’ independent vision and for their project to grow beyond the activities that take place at PHT. (Participants should use the following sentence for any marketing: Supported by The PHT Creative Hub.)
- For artists to feel a part of a hub, not a club, where they can connect with other artists, feel accepted, supported and encouraged at whatever stage their project is at.
- To connect and engage with other artists in the program, and additional professional development activities offered by Presentation House Theatre.
Participant Requirements
- Participants will be engaged in the program for 1 year (upon signing a LOA) and will have 1 year to complete their volunteer hours. Hub Members will have the opportunity to renew their spot after 1 year.
- Complete their volunteer hours. Energy Exchange artists will receive at least 2 hours of studio time for each 1 hour volunteered. 50% of their volunteer hours must be volunteer Usher shifts at PHT. These hours can be fulfilled by any member of a project. Only volunteer duties that have been approved and scheduled by PHT will count towards volunteer hours. Hub Members are free to propose volunteer contributions, but PHT is under no obligation to accept those offers.
- Participate in the required Hub Engagement. We aim to work with and connect the Hub Members on a deeper level with the following opportunities:
- Once a month we will have Open Artist Lounge Time, a time for a few hours as an open space to work or connect with other Hub members.
- Four times a year there will be Hub Socials, a chance to connect with Hub artists on a deeper level.
- Attend our Meet with… Series for free. These sessions will happen throughout the year, intended for artists to grow their skills in Business Operations and learn from professionals in their respective fields.
- Hub Members will be added to our invited opening night list for productions a part of Presentation House Theatre’s season.
Hub Members will have access to PHT Creative Hub’s Google Group where members can share and see opportunities from other members.
Artists will be required to attend a minimum number of the following throughout the year:
- At least one of the four Hub Socials offered throughout the year.
- At least six other sessions. This includes our Meet with.. Series, our Open Artist Lounge Time and/or PHT’s Opening Nights.
Please only apply for this program if you are able to fulfill the Participant Requirements.
Any proposals that require public presentations or use of venue technicians will incur additional labour costs to be covered by the artist which cannot be covered through volunteer time. If artists are unable to complete their volunteer hours a year from the signing of their LOA, they will be requested to pay the difference in time to space booked.
Who can apply?
The Creative Hub is open to artists from all disciplines including but not limited to theatre, dance, music, opera, mixed media, live art, and interdisciplinary projects. Emerging, early career, mid and late career artists are all welcome to apply to either programs of the Creative Hub. Presentation House Theatre is committed to an ongoing process of decolonization, anti-racism, and equitable access. We encourage applications from queer, transgender and two-spirited people, First Nations, Inuit & Métis, racialized individuals, and people with disabilities. We are committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the application and creative process; please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.
At this time, we are not seeking applications that focus on the delivery of regular classes or workshops.
How to Apply
To be part of the Energy Exchange, artists should fill out a Google Form Application which can be found here. Energy Exchange applications are accepted on a rolling deadline.
Energy Exchange applications will be reviewed by Emily Brown, PHT Producer and Company Manager. Please contact producer@phtheatre.org with any questions or for assistance with your application or to submit a video or audio file.
Please allow two weeks for us to be in touch about your application. Please do not email or call to follow up about the status of your application, we will be in touch when we can.
Current Hub Members

Colleen Bayati
World Ender is a new developing musical exploring various publicly-derived answers to a question: “How would the world end for you?” From zombies to climate change to losing a loved one, the piece explores death and life, existentialism, joy, and the human condition.

Garvin Chan
Garvin Chan 陳嘉泓 (They/them) is a theatre maker, playwright, and director from Hong Kong, situated in xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories. Graduating from Simon Fraser University’s theatre performance program in 2022, they have since featured in Pedro Chamale’s Peace Country, received an Early Career Development grant with Rumble Theatre, and participated in programs with What Lab, vAct, Arts Club, and PTC.
Garvin’s works often explore identity through darkly offbeat humour, juxtaposing elements of ancestry, spirituality, vulgarity, and mundanity to create work that is emotionally grounded, surreal, yet bleakly hopeful.
Garvin’s works include What the F-Word is Going On? (presented at rEvolver festival 2024), Year of the Frog which will be featured in rice & beans theatre’s DBLSPK residency in late 2025, and A Grandchild’s Quest for Chicken which was performed at 2025’s Vancouver Fringe Festival with a second run of presentations coming up with vAct in 2026.

Joelle Wyminga
Joelle is a multidisciplinary theatre artist working as a director, actor, producer, costume designer and is one of the founders of Far From the Tree Productions. Joelle loves to do work that examines the complexities of humanity in all its forms in hopes of creating a space for people to empathize with those they would never meet through innovative and imaginative storytelling.

Mairy Beam
Mairy Beam, an emerging playwright, is exploring ways to create the appearance of weightlessness for a play set in outer space. They love to explore themes of gender, and environmental justice.

Melissa Aston
Past projects include the children’s show, Cosmo’s Pop Up Circus and Dream Seeds, a Canada Council supported project. She is now creating a new clown show called The Bucket about menopause.

Virginia Duivenvoorden
With a long-time connection to Presentation House Theatre, Virginia D is developing Echo Chamber, a dance work that blends visual storytelling and movement into transformative performances.
Alumni
- Anaïs Pellin
- Andrea Superstein
- Chris Lam
- Dawn Moore
- Desmond Price
- Glynis Whiting
- Gordon Roberts
- Jack Paterson
- Joel Grinke
- Karter Masuhara
- Katie Gartlan-Close
- Laura Di Cicco
- Linda A. Carson
- Louisa Phung
- Olivia Etey
- Samantha Li

Presentation House Theatre currently has three residency artists and companies: multimedia dance artist Aryo Khakpour and theatre collectives happy/accidents (Anais West, Angelica Schwartz, Stephanie Wong) and Monster Theatre (Carly Pokoradi, Ryan Gladstone, Tara Travis).
The Creative Residency initiative encourages artists to create a new work, re-imagine an old idea, or engage in the development of a creative practice that will form the basis of a potentially important work of art. The Creative Residency provides artists with access to rehearsal studios, a fully equipped theatre space, and artistic support. Projects will be supported for a minimum of 2 years, as we provide the opportunity for artists to see their work through to the next stage of development. Presentation House Theatre will commit to a formal presentation of the project, when it’s ready, of at least $5,000. Presentation may occur in a variety of forms, based on the needs of the work and capacity of PHT which will occur through mutual and ongoing discussion. We will also work with artists to support them finding partners and funding to develop and produce the project.
Creative Residency is ideal for artists and groups looking to invest a dedicated amount of time over several years to create a new work and advance their artistic practice through long-term engagement.
Applications for this program are currently closed.

Aryo Khakpour
Aryo Khakpour (he/him) is an interdisciplinary performer, director and dramaturg. Born and raised in Tehran, Aryo has been involved in multiple theatre, dance, and film productions in Vancouver, Canada, since 2006. He co-founded The Biting School in 2013 and was company-in-residence at the PuSh Festival and The Dance Centre from 2018-2019. Aryo is an infrequent sessional instructor at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.
In his practice he explores dynamics of power, implications of ideologies, repetition of mythologies, and cultural adaptation. An intersectional feminist, Aryo interrogates the patriarchy and its harmful effects on people. His practice is heavily physical and surrealistic; it moves from theatre to performance art to dance to film and back to theatre; it deals with pain and pleasure; it is sex-positive; and aims to queer the status quo. Aryo was trained in devised practices of non-hierarchical collective creation — this is his favourite way of creating work.
Aryo is the recipient of the 2024 Theatre Replacement Accelerator Lab Fellowship, which focuses on international touring within the context of experimental theatre and interdisciplinary performance, and building relations with the international arts network.
Corporeal Liberation: a Cinema Machine is a research project that combines collected moving and still images with body/motion tracking to create an interactive system for expanded cinema. Driven by active spectatorship and participatory performance, this multi-narrative installation explores and brings to light histories hidden under oppression.

happy/accidents
happy/accidents was established in 2017 by Angelica Schwartz with the aim of fostering alternative theatre on Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, MB). Shortly thereafter, Artistic Associate Erin Meagan Schwartz joined the company and together, they produced three impressive shows. In 2020, happy/accidents expanded nationally with the appointment of Stephanie Wong as Co-Artistic Director, alongside Angelica.
Under the leadership of Angelica and Stephanie, happy/accidents has produced an additional three digital works, and is presently developing its first stage production of Blood Wedding with the two Co-Artistic Directors. The duo is committed to reimagining the landscape of theatre leadership and creating alternative works that instill optimism amidst existential uncertainty.
happy/accidents’ vision is rooted in a determination to push boundaries, challenge norms and create new possibilities in the world of theatre. Their focus on positivity and hope, and their ability to innovate, is evident in their productions, earning them recognition in the industry.
Created by Anais West, Angelica Schwartz, and Stephanie Wong, Blood Wedding is a multidisciplinary drama inspired by Federico García Lorca’s ‘Blood Wedding’, and his avant-garde satire, ‘The Public.’ With surrealism and biting humour, it follows a group of queer and trans artists navigating the perils of working in institutionalized theatre. During a production of ‘Blood Wedding,’ a revolt begins in the company, forcing the trans assistant director to reckon with their ambition, their artistic integrity and their responsibility to the queer community. Blood Wedding asks: does the old theatre need to be buried, so that a new theatre can rise? It is a meta-theatrical love letter to a queer ancestor, using Lorca’s legacy to challenge transphobia and catalyze a better future. oppression.



Monster Theatre
Monster Theatre’s mandate is to create original plays that challenge preconceptions, excite imaginations and embody the way of the Monster: strange, twisted and bizarre on the outside, but always with a noble heart. Founded in 2000, we have toured hit shows such as Til Death: The Six Wives of Henry VII, Juliet: A Revenge Comedy, & Who Killed Gertrude Crump? During PHT’s Creative Residency, Carly Pokoradi, Ryan Gladstone, and Tara Travis will be developing a brand new immersive, experiential, installation piece, likely the largest and most technically dynamic project we’ve tackled to date. The Parlour (Working Title) will explore fear and the spirit world. What engenders fear? Is it physical? Emotional? What kind of audience wants to feel afraid? Why are so many of us desperate to believe there’s a way to make contact with the other side? Loosely inspired by the Spiritualism Movement, this participatory “table play” takes place at a seance in which two actors guide an intimate audience through an evolving psychological thriller, as they all attempt to communicate beyond the veil. We are excited to collaborate with magician Travis Bernhardt, who will mentor the team to develop new illusions and technical effects that cause our audiences to doubt their very senses (whether they believe in ghosts or not). It is this razor-edged space between hard-headed skepticism and desperate faith on which we hope to balance the audience’s experience.