Beth Kates

Set & Lighting Designer

Beth Kates is an award-winning, lighting, set, projection and mixed-reality designer, as well as a ‘digital dramaturg’. Her work has been seen on stages around the world for over 30 years. A leader in new forms of performance creation with emerging digital tools, Beth co-created, Bury The Wren with Neil Christensen. Re-telling the true story of politically fuelled massacre of the Donnelly family in 1880, Bury The Wren is an immersive performance that combines Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and ‘Carbon’ Reality/live performance. Employing a similar approach, Beth and Dr. Karlee Fellner are adapting Fellner’s doctoral dissertation into a performance: ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑮᐃᐧᐊᐧᐟ maskihkîwiwat. This work began at the 2022 Banff Playwrights Lab. Beth’s favourite production is her son, Aaron, who is often in the theatre (and VR) with her.