James Hyett is a performer

(In this case, mostly meaning 'actor' and 'improviser')

But given that I've gone from the Sears Drama Festival (RIP) in high school, through to campus theatre and a BA at the University of Toronto's Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies, to roleplaying with my friends around the gaming table, to an MA in Classical Acting at LAMDA, to self-producing audio dramas, to acting in virtual reality, "performer" is a good catch-all.

Basically, I like helping stories get told.

Keep scrolling to find some examples and evidence of previous (and perhaps upcoming) performances.

XR

XR is a curious term that I have some issues with. It's usually seen next to VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), and is usually understood as "mixed reality", or otherwise "extended reality" - which is vaguely defined as "a combination of VR and AR and other technologies". I'm using it here for the purpose of showcasing my live performance work that has been mediated or heavily involved some kind of internet-based technology.

Uncanny Alley: A New Day

In August and September 2024, I have joined the Ferryman Collective for my second show with them, Uncanny Alley: A New Day, in its premiere at the Venice Film Festival! It's a delightful show, written by Steve Butchko and inspired by Rick Treweek's VRChat world Uncanny Alley, and it's been a ton of fun to inhabit the 10 different characters that I embody in the show! Here is a write-up about the play.

Find WiiLii - Ep.1 The Gate-Crasher

In March 2023, I was fortunate enough to be part of the World Premier cast of the English version of Find WiiLii - Ep.1 The Gate-Crasher, a play that took place in virtual reality as part of SXSW 2023. The show was original developed by Korean VR theatre company GiiÖii, and the English version brought the Ferryman Collective on board. VR acting is very exciting, combining many elements of voice acting and puppeteering and working alongside emerging technologies and video game developers. My work with the PXR conference is a testament to my interest in XR performance, but Find WiiLii was my first opportunity to actually perform in VR, and it was a blast! It was great also to re-mount the show for PXR 2023 in November of that year, as well as at A MAZE. / Berlin 2024 in May of that year. Here is an article about the show's premiere at SXSW.

Friendship & Fantasy workshop

In late 2021, Nicole Eun-ju Bell and I were given the opportunity to present a brief piece as part of the University of Toronto Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies' Alumni Performance Project. We had been talking about how frustrated we were with the lack of interest in mainstream Canadian theatres to do anything interesting with the public health-imposed necessity of performing on Zoom. So, along with some fantastic colleagues (Icarus Irving, Kate Martin, and Isobel McDonald), we set out to make a livestreamed performance that felt like it was essential it be livestreamed, rather than just being required to be so. What we came up with was a 15-minute long blend of actual play Dungeons & Dragons livestreaming and analog horror. We streamed it on YouTube for one performance only, and were very pleased with what we discovered! One of the greatest moments in this investigation was realizing that this kind of performance redefines the fourth wall, such that it's far more likely for the audience to break it than the performers. Discovering thet Zoom allowed video files as virtual backgrounds was exciting, too. Get in touch if you'd like to see the archival video.

Voice

I grew up on audiobooks, and have steadily fed my addiction to Doctor Who with regular application of Big Finish's extensive catalogue.

Moreover, I have done some voice acting.

First Ditch

I am one of three co-founders of the First Ditch Collective, a group with which I make fantastical audio dramas for children set in Eastern Ontario. Our first piece, Through the Fairy Circle was honoured at the 2023 UK International Audio Drama Festival with the Deacon Award for best work by a young producer (or three, in our case). Shannon, Uri, and I had a great time in Canterbury at the festival, and we thank the Deacons immensely for sponsoring the award. Go check out the vast and exciting work they do over at their website.

First Ditch's most recent piece, Garden of Edith was produced as part of the 2022 Shortwave Radio Theatre Festival with support from the Ontario Arts Council, and is still available to stream for free on the Shortwave podcast feed here.

The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish

Near the end of my time at LAMDA, I hurriedly made an audiobook of a very old book by Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World (1666). Some call it a predecessor to the science fiction genre. I called it a good excuse to do lots and lots of silly voices. You can listen to and download the whole thing through the Digital Cavendish Project here.

Voice Reel

The above reel features clips from The Telltale Heart, Through the Fairy Circle, Blue Sky: the Podfic, and HEIST.

Reel

Click through here for my headshots and pictures of me performing.

Film

I've had the pleasure of being involved in a few student films.

I had a great time rambling around with Pranay Noel, Jesse LaVercombe, and a camcorder for a day playing Brian/Brain in Height Markers.

I have a very short IMDb page that attests to the fact that I was in Nell Sommerville's lovely short film Big Sky. I have another testament as well, my pants still have the mud stains!

contact

Would you like to pay me to perform?

Get in touch! Maybe drop me a message on Neocities. If you're not going to send me spam, you can also email me. I was lucky enough to register a Gmail account that uses just my full name as the local-part.