Derek Manderson is an interdisciplinary scholar, educator, and PhD candidate in Theatre and Performance Studies at York University. His research imbricates participatory performance, game studies, and care ethics to unpack the dramaturgical structures of collaborative play, with a particular interest in how game design influences audience experiences of agency. He is currently working on his dissertation, “Game Play: Participatory Theatre in the Ludic Century.” His writing has appeared in Canadian Theatre Review, Theater, and CANNOPY.

Jacob Pittini (he/him) is a PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. Here, he is invested in developing research methodologies for ethically co-theorizing with audiences of contemporary Canadian theatre. His research explores how participatory performance can allow audiences to collectively and creatively engage with pressing social issues. He has shared his research at the Canadian Association for Theatre Research, in the pages of Canadian Theatre Review, and is co-organizing the 33rd annual Festival of Original Theatre conference at the University of Toronto. Jacob is also an interdisciplinary educator and holds a fellowship at Massey College.

Bethany Schaufler-Biback (she/her) is a theatre practitioner and PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, theatre, and Performance Studies. Her research is rooted in audience studies, concerning the intersections of care ethics, affect theory, and disability studies. She has had the opportunity to share her work at The Canadian Association for Theatre Research, Canadian Games Studies Association, and in The Journal for Consent Based Performance. 

In her capacity as a theatre practitioner, Bethany is currently a producer at County Stage Company. She also works as a stage manager, most recently at Achura Karpa in Bogotá, Colombia. Bethany’s practice is invested in accessibility at every point of the creative process.