Accelerator Lab International Fellowship
Accelerator Lab is a cohort-based program for 4 mid-career, Vancouver-based experimental theatre artists, focused on mentorship, shared learning, cultural exchange and experience in international networking.
Since 2024, cohort members have been exploring new ways to grow mobility for their work and reinvigorating the current context for international touring, networking and relationship building. Activities have included a research trip to the Noorderzon Festival in the Netherlands last August, individual sessions with international mentors throughout the year, plus ongoing group meetings with TR’s Artistic Director, Maiko Yamamoto, and Senior Producer, Katie Roberts.
Cohort members include Davey Samuel Calderon, Aryo Khakpour, Kyle Loven and Keely O’Brien, working with International Mentors Matthew Austin, Co-Director of MAYK (Bristol, UK); Meiyin Wang, Director of Producing and Programming of the Perelman Performing Arts Centre (New York, USA); Ragnheiður Skúladóttir, Artistic Director and CEO of Festspillene i Nord-Norge (Harstad, Norway); and Juliet Knapp, Co-Director of Kyoto Experiment (Kyoto, Japan).
A key moment for the Fellowship is the Community Conversation at HOLD ON LET GO, where cohort members will share their takeaways as part of our Festival Gatherings on Thursday, February 6th at 5pm. In addition, we’ll be hosting a panel with the International Mentors for the program on Saturday, February 8th at 3pm.
Accelerator Lab is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and the City of Vancouver.
Davey Samuel Calderon
playwrightstheatre.com
Davey Samuel Calderon (he/they/siya) is a director, performer, writer, producer, drag artist, dramaturg, and settler on the unceded lands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. He is the Co-Founder of New(to)Town Collective, a former training and experimental theatre collective known for economically accessible workshops and devised performances. He’s known for Big Queer Filipino Karaoke Night! (various presentations, 2018-2023) and his musical in development, Deep Fried: A Pinoy Musical! (PTC Company Collaboration with support from Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre). Currently, he is PTC’s Dramaturg, Public Engagement. Select dramaturgy credits include, The Frontliners by Zahida Rahemtulla (2022 Vancouver Fringe Festival), The Parallel Project by 180 Momentum Collective (ongoing), and it lives in my bedroom by Mily Mumford (2021-23 PTC Associate). As a producer and arts worker, he’s had the privilege of working with nationally recognized companies, such as Upintheair Theatre, Neworld Theatre, Alley Theatre, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, and Paul Wong Projects. Furthermore, he is a current member of Playwrights Guild Canada’s IBPOC Publishing Committee.
Aryo Khakpour
bitingschool.com
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.
Kyle Loven
kyleloven.com
Kyle Loven (he/him) is a queer performance and visual artist based on the unceded territories known as Vancouver. His work combines both constructed and found objects, unconventional storytelling, and various art forms with the human presence. His live performances have been seen in Amsterdam, Taipei, New York, Vancouver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, and other US/Canadian cities. His work has premiered at major North American performance spaces: the Arts Club, the Guthrie Theater and On the Boards. Kyle is the recipient of grants from the Jim Henson Foundation and Canada Council for the Arts, among others. Awards include the Innovation in Puppetry Award at the National Puppetry Festival. He is the creator and host of the theatrical game night, Me Love BINGO!.
Keely O’Brien
keelyobrien.ca
Keely O’Brien (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Richmond, BC, on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm / hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking peoples. Her practice incorporates intricately handmade objects with innovative theatre creation. Devoted to a thoroughly DIY process, Keely’s work includes immersive installations, imaginative ephemera, and interactive experiences. She often collaborates with community members who may not consider themselves artists, and invites the public to participate in unusual meaning-making experiences. Keely is Co-Artistic Director of experimental theatre company Popcorn Galaxies, whose recent works include The Dead Letter Office (presented at Eastern Front Theatre STAGES Festival, The Array Showcase), and Perfect Strangers (presented at Nakai Theatre, Found Festival, rEvolver Festival). She is Theatre Replacement’s 2023 COLLIDER Artist in Residence, and an annual associate artist at Mountain View Cemetery’s Night for All Souls. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Simon Fraser University, and is a self and family-taught visual artist.