SWIM brings an immersive audio-haptic experience to the PuSh Festival, January 30 to February 2
Production by Theatre Conspiracy and Pandemic Theatre sheds light on the treacherous journey faced by asylum seekers crossing the Aegean Sea

SWIM. Photo by Allie Wood
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Touchstone Theatre, and The Cultch present Theatre Conspiracy and Pandemic Theatre’s SWIM at the Vancity Culture Lab from January 30 to February 2
THE ARABIAN LOVE story of Layla and Majnun has been recounted throughout much of human history, perhaps most notably by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in the 12th century.
As the tale goes, Qays and Layla have been in love since childhood—Qays so much so that he earns the nickname Majnun, meaning “crazy” or “possessed” in Arabic, from those around him. But when the two grow up, Layla’s father marries her off to another man, leaving Qays to lead a life of recluse in the desert writing poetry about what could have been. Tragically, in the end, both lovers die without actualizing the relationship they always dreamed of.
This story is part of the inspiration behind SWIM, an immersive audio-haptic experience by Theatre Conspiracy and Pandemic Theatre that will run at this year’s PuSh International Performing Arts Festival from January 30 to February 2. Co-presented with Touchstone Theatre and The Cultch at the latter company’s Vancity Culture Lab, SWIM simulates the immense physical, mental, and spiritual challenges that individuals must undergo while seeking asylum.
Between the coastal city of Güzelçamli, Turkey and the Greek island of Samos, there lies an eight-kilometre stretch of the Aegean Sea—a distance equivalent to 160 lengths of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Many refugees make the difficult decision to swim across those pitch-black waters, leaving behind their loves, lives, and homes in search of asylum in Europe. Much like Qays and Layla in the age-old story, they must reckon with the reality that starting over means facing loss, heartache, and displacement.
SWIM offers insights into the realities of migrant journeys with cutting-edge audio and tactile simulations developed by bHaptics Technology. David Mesiha, an associate artist of Pandemic Theatre, is behind the music, sound design, and haptics for the experience. For those unfamiliar with the term, haptic technology transmits physical sensations to the person interacting with it—an everyday example would be the vibration of a cell phone when it rings.
Mesiha is directing the show alongside Gavan Cheema (both are co-artistic directors of Theatre Conspiracy). The pair co-created SWIM with Pandemic Theatre’s co-founders Jivesh Parasram and Tom Arthur Davis.
Audience members can learn more about all the experiences and technology that went into the making of SWIM during a post-show talkback on January 31 at 5 pm.
Stir editorial assistant Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.
Related Articles
As if haunted by centuries of hits and flops, the three figures in this Bard on the Beach comedy take jabs at the self-consciousness and shaky footing of being an actor
Lineup also includes an offering from South Korea, an adaptation of The Paper Bag Princess, and a family-friendly drag show
Poetic flourishes and strong characterizations bring compelling charge to imagined story of Shakespeare and the woman who inspired and challenged him
Comedy with Charlie Demers and Jacob Samuel and a remount of Wakey, Wakey are some of the offerings onstage before renovations and a time of internal review in 2026
More mainstage offerings include love story Gertrude & Alice, video-game-style production 2021, and solo show Danceboy
Facilitated conversations with directors take place before matinee showings of four Bard on the Beach productions this season
Core elements of this audience favourite remain in a production full of touches that feel unmistakably contemporary
Vancouver’s Neworld Theatre is producing and administering nationwide initiative in search of experienced arts writers who are IBPOC or face other barriers
This year’s event, on from August 7 to 17, also features a standup comedy show by YouTube star Manpreet Singh and all-ages dance workshops
Young cast fuels this new production of the Roald Dahl classic with over-the-top silliness and sheer song-and-dance talent
New production of Jessica B. Hill’s witty play reclaims the lost history of poet Emilia Bassano
From revealing performances to spot-on costumes and sets, this new production conjures all the atmosphere of the play’s old London home
Western Gold Theatre fundraiser features the U.K.–born Canadian artist in an intimate, informal setting
In Bard on the Beach’s new production, retro pastels and power suits map surprisingly well onto the chaos of Shakespeare’s sometimes troublesome original
Neworld Theatre in collaboration and SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts humanizes the issue by drawing on real, lived memories of fires, floods, and heat waves
With audiences sworn to secrecy over a decades-long run, the mystery at the heart of author’s most famous whodunit endures
With modernized touches and strong performances, this adaptation renews the wit and scheming of Shakespeare’s classic comedy
Rachel Drance’s poignant performance mixes well with choreographic and design innovations in new rendition of musical at the Stanley
Sean Bayntun and Eliza De Castro sound off on bringing to life the bold characters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Legally Blonde: The Musical
Kat Sandler’s Wildwoman and Axis Theatre’s Where Have All the Buffalo Gone? round out the stage offerings
The first female published poet in England interacts with Shakespeare in Jessica B. Hill’s witty, complex love story