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Getting Behind the Scenes on 31 Iguana’s Spectacular High Moon, An Interview

The best thing about 31 Iguana’s High Moon is that everyone is excited in taking a bite to revive Victoria, BC’s Halloween Scene!

To buy advance tickets, please visit https://31-iguanas.tickit.ca/

The Giggling Iguana is back and is now known as 31 Iguanas. It’s a wonderful merger with Outpost 31 as the creative minds behind these two local theatre companies aim to bring more pop culture into the scene. Their first production was Welcome to Croglin at the Victoria Fringe Festival, and now they’re organizing site-specific works, like High Moon: A Werewolf Western!

In the past, Ian Case‘s Halloween-themed productions at Craigdarroch Castle were very well received. He knew how to deliver atmosphere. They helped make productions like The Fall of the House of Usher and Dracula: The Blood is the Life sing. Also, when the weather cooperated, spooky moments like witnessing the narrator emerge from the fog were unforgettable. But his work is not limited to just putting on local productions. He’s also performed, represented and managed other acts. After receiving a job offer at the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium, he shifted gears.

David Elendune is equally prolific as a writer and producer and is well known on the island and off. His works are often a part of the Victoria Fringe Festival and most of his plays are available to license online for other groups to perform. Good Night Uncle Joe is a play that, he says that refuses to die. He said, “It pops up often. Even my take on Winnie the Pooh was produced and staged in the States.”

When I met up with the two, I asked how they first made contact and decide to collaberate?

DE: Janet Munsil is to blame. Years ago, I took a playwriting course when Ian ran Intrepid Theatre. I wrote a Sherlock Holmes pastiche called Bucket Full of Bees, which eventually became Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of Moriarty. Janet suggested Ian read it, and we had to meet.

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Escape From Victoria: An Unforgettable Fringe Festival Hit!

Fringe parody Escape from Victoria delivers big laughs with puppets, local references, and John Carpenter-inspired chaos in a wild, must-see show.

Escape from Victoria Fringe Theatre parody show poster One reason I love Fringe theatre so much is because of how artists express big, ambitious ideas on a shoestring budget. That spirit is exactly what makes Escape from Victoria so hilarious. The name alone evokes memories of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York and Escape from LA. After a successful run in Ontario as Escape from Toronto, this show has been performed with a few tweaks tailored for each city. I suppose this show’s collective name is simply Escape from Canada. For my performance, there was plenty to marvel—and gawk—at!

Local references are a highlight. In Victoria, it’s the original Hudson’s Bay Building (now the Victoria Public Market). Instead of simply admiring these sites, the play brings their history vividly to life—sometimes with biting commentary, especially concerning this landmark of the city’s history. I haven’t seen the other versions, so I don’t know if this company was intentionally targeted.

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Asking Ty/Hinox Wesley 20 Questions at the Victoria Fringe Festival

Experience 20 Questions at Victoria Fringe: two paranormal investigators, a mischievous Reaper, and secrets that’ll haunt you long after the show ends.

20 Questions feels less like a challenge to the Reaper and more like an exploration of why certain relationships matter. Anyone familiar with The Midnight Game may recognize some of its inspiration, but playwright Ty/Hinox Wesley seems to lean heavily on the Japanese game Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai. In that tradition, participants extinguish one of a hundred candles after telling a spooky story, with the last remaining candleholder facing a far graver consequence. Here, each question functions like a candle: early answers reveal small truths, but as the count nears the last, the stakes become existential.

Only the last person asked faces the ultimate danger if they lie, creating a natural crescendo. Audience and participants alike sense the tension, and the structure excels at revealing secrets—both about the characters’ relationships and their inner lives. Who volunteers first? Who cracks under pressure? These moments blend psychological suspense with subtle comedy, exploring trust, honesty, and unspoken bonds.

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From Workshop to Stardust: Space Queen’s Journey Unveiled at Victoria Fringe Festival

Aaron Nickol’s Space Queen blends sci-fi, drag, and Indigenous storytelling into a retro-futurist vision of queer survival and resistance. Workshopped at Victoria Fringe, it’s already brimming with promise as it prepares to expand into a full production next year.

Aaron Nickol’s Space Queen is being workshopped at Victoria’s Fringe Festival as part of Intrepid Theatre Society’s Indigenous Artist Program. It carries the tone of the movie Logan’s Run, imagining a future where queer existence is outlawed and underground resistance gains strength. For those forced to hide who they are, even finding a job becomes a quiet act of rebellion.

Nickol builds his world through spoken word and projected video of the computer system that shapes daily life. The current workshop feels partial—there are no costume changes to distinguish characters, and the lack of visual shifts leaves some moments flat—yet it establishes a strong foundation. This show probes queer survival and the radical power of claiming space. The Indigenous themes resonate alongside short films and graphic novels exploring how these cultures historically embraced alternate gender roles, including two-spirit identities.

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Top 10 Nerdy Must-See Picks of Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025

From immersive experiments to meta-theatre and surreal solarpunk visuals, these picks are a geek’s ideal ticket to the Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025.

Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025 Runs Sept 4 to 14th, 2025.

Not many acts from the Victoria Fringe Festival are heading to Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025, but that’s no reason to skip it! When most live theatre acts examine the “game of life,” letting us explore the human condition through the safe lens of an observer, what’s presented are often eye-opening in more ways than one!

Solo shows, a hallmark of Fringe, make this exchange especially powerful—raw, intimate, and deeply personal. Unlike film, which often leans on escapism, Fringe thrives on honesty. Other forms of theatre will vary, but ultimately, when we can connect with the story, the meaning isn’t hidden; it’s right in front of us, asking us to feel, reflect, and engage.

Over the years, I’ve seen countless performances that deserve standing ovations. Many artists return with fresh material or clever twists on familiar acts, and that’s part of what keeps me coming back. Although one performer missed the lottery for my local Fringe, he’s thankfully back at Terminal City. This individual has consistently stood out, earning a spot in my top ten yet again. I won’t reveal their name just yet, but longtime readers may already recognize the work—newcomers will have fun seeing if they can guess who it is.

This year’s picks are presented in alphabetical order. These links go to ticket purchases and showtimes.

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The Disney Delusion is More Than a Coming of Age, But A Coming Out Comedy Touring the Fringe World

Leif Oleson-Cormack’s one-man show, The Disney Delusion is a painfully funny romp through crushes, castles, and self-doubt. Think romance ideals meet anti-fairy-tale—and leave no sparkler unturned. #FringeFestival #TheatreReview #LGBTQ

The Disney Delusion Fairy tales tell us that love should be effortless—one glance across a crowded room, one spark of magic, and happily ever after begins. But real life rarely follows that script. In The Disney Delusion, Leif Oleson-Cormack digs into that uncomfortable gap between ideal and reality, showing how fairy-tale notions of romance can unravel spectacularly when tested against messy human emotions. The premise may sound familiar, but it’s hard not to be reminded of Disney’s Enchanted, where recognizing true love is anything but simple. Thankfully, no one bursts into song.