Upintheair Theatre

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Upintheair Theatre

Upintheair Theatre creates and produces new theatrical productions.

The creators of The Walking Fish Festival & Neanderthal Arts and producers of the rEvolver Theatre Festival.

08/28/2026

Last day to submit your Propeller proposals! We are so excited to see the spec-fic stories you've dreamed up!

[Image description: A multi-colour background in black, pink, green, blue and purple that has white lines with dots and star shapes. In the top right corner, it says "Apply by Aug 28" and just below that it says "Propeller Residency." In the centre, bold black and green text reads "Last day to apply!" The bottom right corner has the propeller logo and the Upintheair logo.]

08/21/2026

Will you create the next Dead Drone? Another stop on our walk down memory lane. Dead Drone was the second Propeller project (Updrafts Collaborative Commission), which premiered in 2025.

DEAD DRONE is a groundbreaking speculative fiction play that delves into a future shaped by environmental collapse, digital obsession, and the struggle for connection. In a world where wildfires rage, air quality deteriorates, and pollinators have vanished, humankind's Citizens remain confined indoors, endlessly scrolling their feeds in search of escape. In a desperate bid to save the planet, a subrace of bee-humans is created to replace lost pollinators. Amidst this dystopian reality, a rogue aerial drone, struck by lightning, falls into the hands of those who need it most—sparking a glimmer of hope. As gods look on and worker bees struggle for connection, the next wave of influencers rises, fueled by technology, addiction, and the search for love.

Written by Dave Mott and directed by Tamara McCarthy
Poster illustration by Jesse White

Chloe Payne as Wipple
Darcey Johnson as The Mountaineer
Evelyn Chew as Jenny
Paulo Ribeiro as Sam
Sarah Roa as Nim

Tamara McCarthy Director & Dramaturg
Sherine Menes: Assistant Director & Assistant Stage Manager
Dave Mott: Playwright
Nico Dicecco: Stage Manager
Randi Edmundson: Puppetry Design
Stephanie Elgersma: Puppetry Builder & Design Assistant
Alexandra Caprara: Lighting & Projection Designer
Chantal Short: Costume Designer
David Roberts Scenography Designer
MJ Coomber: Sound Designer
Gavin Cameron: Workshop Stop Motion Designer

08/15/2026

Thank you all so much for your submissions to our 15th annual rEvolver Festival! We received over 100 applications and we can't wait to read them all. Stay tuned for when we announce the full festival line-up in the spring!

[Image description: on a pale purple background, bright yellow text reads "rEvolver Festival 2027" over a dark purple rectangle with a point on one end. In the centre, bold purple and pink text says "Thanks for applying!" There is a small purple and teal propeller above the text, a medium sized one below, and a large one in the bottom right corner.]

08/14/2026

Two weeks left to apply for the Propeller Residency!

[Image description: A blue cityscape mirrored on top and bottom. In the top left corner, a dark blue circle with the text "Call for Proposals." In the centre, the propeller logo with bold text underneath that says "Two weeks to apply." In the bottom left corner is the Upintheair logo. The bottom right corner has a bright blue star shape with the text "submissions due Aug 28."]

08/07/2026

Today's the day! We can't wait to read all your submissions!

Banafsheh Hassani حسنی بنفشه in Regarding Antigone from rEvolver Festival 2026
Photo by Philip Sawaia

[Image description: an Iranian femme wearing a white jumpsuit lays on their back with their legs curled up over their head. Bold purple and pink text says “Last day to apply” in the centre with “rEvolver Festival 2027” in the bottom left corner.]

07/31/2026

A little walk down memory lane. Revelations was the very first production to come out of the Propeller Residency, back when it was called the Updrafts Collaborative Commission.

Premiering in 2022, Revelations combined live performance and an interactive game bundled in an at-home escape room kit. It was experienced in two parts: first from the comfort of your home, then from an undisclosed location on the Shadbolt Centre’s grounds. After signing up, audiences received their Scenario Kit and a walkie talkie, hand-delivered by a Revelations Consultants. Later that evening, audiences tuned in to our dedicated frequency for further instructions– how they chose to survive was up to them.

Photo of Mack Gordon as an Apocalypse Survival Consultant

[Image 1 description: A white man in an orange hazmat suit holds a white gift box. Behind him is a Vancouver-special style house. The sky has stormy grey clouds. Above the house there are simultaneous fireworks and an explosion. Bold white text reads “Revelations.” The bottom corners have the Upintheair logo and the Propeller logo.

Image 2 description: A white woman wearing a mask has her hands together in front of her face. A white man in a hazmat suit and mask shines a flashlight. In front of both people is a table white string lights around it and a sparkly pink box that says “Do” on it.

Image 3 description: A Filipino woman in a khaki work suit and pink tutu with a respirator mask around her neck. She reaches for a black box with one hand and holds a walkie talkie and papers in the other.

Image 4 description: A white man in a black trench coat and cloth face mask holds a spherical display case with a single cupcake inside. Behind him is a black board that says “Do or Die.”

Image 5 description: a group of people in a parkade with their arms raised in celebration. There is a silver pool in the middle with giant dice inside.]

07/24/2026

Get those rEvolver applications in! Only two weeks left to apply!

[image description: a pale purple background, with a darker purple arrow block across the top. Bold yellow text in the arrow block says “two weeks left to apply.” Under that, bold purple and pink text says “revolver festival 2027.” There is a purple and teal propeller in the bottom centre. In the bottom right, another purple arrow block with text that says “apply by August 7th 11:59 PM PDT."

07/17/2026

Calling all creators! Upintheair Theatre is now seeking proposals for our brand new Propeller Residency! The selected artist(s) will be guided through a structured dramaturgy process & collaborative production plan to create and produce an original spec-fic co-production.

We define Speculative Fiction as: Narrative exploring real and important ideas about what is happening in the world right now, through an intelligent eye on the near future. Coined by sci-fi author Robert Heinlein, spec-fic is often described as the ‘What if?’ genre, a provocative lens through which to interrogate contemporary political & social issues.

What you’ll receive:

- Artist Fees based on CAEA Guidelines/PGC Guidelines
- Producing Fees are paid minimum $28/hour
- Up to two dramaturgical workshops between 2026-2027 in Vancouver, BC
- Travel costs, accommodation and per-diem (if travelling from outside of Vancouver, BC)
- Workshop performers, director, stage manager etc. provided and paid for by Upintheair Theatre (and agreed upon with Propeller Project Lead Artist)

Check the link in our bio for more details!

Open to emerging and mid-career artists across Canada

[image 1: Multicolour background with white lines and star shapes. Top left corner has a dark blue circle with the text “call for proposals.” Top right on an angle it says “apply by Aug 28.” In the centre, bold text says “propeller residency.” Bottom right has the propeller logo and the Upintheair logo.

image 2: Multicolour background with a green piece of ripped paper in the middle. Top right is the propeller logo. Green header text says “What is Propeller?” Inside the paper, text reads "a 2-year residency for an emerging or mid-career producing artist to create and produce an original spec-fic co-production. Propeller guides artists through a structured dramaturgy process and collaborative production plan.” Upintheair’s logo is in the bottom right.

image 3: Multicolour background with a green piece of ripped paper in the middle. Top right is the propeller logo. Green header text says “How to apply:” Inside the paper, text reads "letter of intent (2 pages max), short synopsis of your concept (200 words max), Bio(s) (200 words max/artist), OPTIONAL: support material (images, past reviews, letters of support, conceptual documents, etc.)” Upintheair logo bottom right.]

07/13/2026

At UpIntheAir, "emerging" encompasses a broad and inclusive range of experiences. Above are a handful of possible examples.

[image 1: A pale yellow background with a teal and purple propeller in the top left corner and five wavy teal lines on the right side. In bold teal text: "How do we define emerging & early/mid-career?"

image 2: A pale yellow background with a teal and purple propeller in the bottom right corner and five wavy teal lines on the left side. In bold teal text: "Upintheair has a broad and inclusive definition of emerging:" with bullet points below, "Recent graduates; Mid-career artists attempting to grow or transform their practice significantly (i.e. taking on a new role)."

image 3: A pale yellow background with a teal and purple propeller in the bottom right corner and five wavy teal lines on the left side. In bold teal text: "Upintheair has a broad and inclusive definition of emerging:" with bullet points below, “Re-emerging” or mature artists who have been away from artistic practice or are looking to launch new practices; Artists who don’t work in the arts on a regular basis or who have never participated in a festival before."]

07/07/2026

Wondering what types of shows we're looking for? Scroll through for a non-exhaustive list! Only one month left to get your applications in!

[image 1: teal background with a semi-sheer rainbow wave through it. Text reads "revolver festival 2027 is seeking submissions from: Live Performance" underneath it says "theatre, dance, interactive art, interdisciplinary work" and "Digital Performance" which has "live/pre-recorde3d virtual art, VR, interactive online show, mixed reality tech, and installation" under it.

image 2: teal background with a semi-sheer rainbow wave through it. Text reads "Live/digital performance may fall under the following categories: 1. Mainstage: 3-5 performances; 2. Interactive Works: such as games, micro-performances, site-specific pieces; 3. Off site 'Bring Your Own Venue': Performances staged at other venues* *provided at the artists' expense."

image 3: teal background with a semi-sheer rainbow wave through it. Text reads "Live/digital performance may fall under the following categories: 4. WIP Presentations: new works in early stages of development; 5: WIP readings: live/online readings of new scripts; 6: Conversations or Workshops: Live/online artist talks or workshops."

image 4: teal background with a semi-sheer rainbow wave through it. Text reads "apply for rEvolver Festival 2027. Deadline all submissions: August 7th 11:59 PDT."]

Address

1885 Venables Street
Vancouver, BC
V5L2H6

Telephone

+16046491559

Website

http://www.upintheairtheatre.com/

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