Since 2020, Aubrey Reeves has been the President and CEO of Business/Arts, a national charitable organization that shows the power of partnership between business and arts through programs such as artsvest and the Canadian Arts Summit. Previously, Aubrey held leadership roles at Culture Days since its inception in 2010, eventually becoming National Executive Director (2017-2020). Aubrey has also worked with the Ontario Arts Council, Trinity Square Video, Dance Current Magazine and has served on the Boards of the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto and Dreamwalker Dance Company. 

A multi-disciplinary artist and curator, Aubrey possesses a unique set of sensibilities that allow her to champion initiatives encompassing the perspectives of artists, audiences, cultural organizations and partners alike. Her artworks have been exhibited across Canada and internationally. Aubrey holds an M.A. in Curatorial Studies from Bard College and a B.A. in Arts Management and Visual Art from the University of Toronto.

Mayumi Lashbrook (she/her) is a mixed race Japanese Canadian settler who seeks to expose, challenge, and rectify systems of oppression by creating innovative, introspective and inclusive dance theatre. Her practices span performance, choreography, curation, and facilitation. Mayumi is a 2024 nominee of the Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Award and the Artistic Director of Aeris Körper, recipient of the 2024 Hamilton Arts Award, Creator Award.

As mentee of renowned dance theatre artist Denise Fujiwara, she has been studying choreographic composition, the Japanese dance form Butoh, and is a company member of Fujiwara Dance Inventions. She has presented work in esteemed platforms such as Dusk Dances, CanAsian Dance, Fall for Dance North and produced a bi-city presentation of her work Enemy Lines.

raven Lam (she/they) is a curious creature working in the arts exploring aliveness, deadness and dreaming in Toronto, Canada. She is a psychotherapist in training at the Centre for Training in Psychotherapy. She holds two leadership positions as the general manager at VIBE Arts, a youth arts education charity, and the executive director at Whippersnapper Gallery, an experimental artist run space for emerging creators and thinkers.

Tony Perpuse is a Dora-award winning Toronto based Filipino-Canadian performer and he’s so happy to be a part of this year’s Arts Ahead.

Theatre credits include Herbie in The Darkest Dark (Young People’s Theatre), RJ in The Waltz (Factory Theatre), Ollie in Storybook Search 2023 (Bad Hats), Emmett in Storybook Search 2022 (Bad Hats), RuDaGold in Orestes (Tarragon), Koyo/Kapre in Through the Bamboo (Fringe), Eli in Eraser (Riser Festival) and Jorge in Theory (Tarragon).

Film credits include CBC’s Workin Moms and Save Me. Directing credits include An Utterly Stupid Indefensible Thing (Fringe), The Brothers Gentle (Fringe), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Wolf Manor) and Posthumous Friends (inspiraTO). He has received training as a Factory Theatre Mechanical, graduated with a BFA from TMU and received the Perry Schneiderman comedy award. He’s got a big heart and an even bigger smile so don’t be shy to say hello!