Tag: British Columbia

Welcome to the FUN HOUSE: Atomic Vaudeville’s Halloween Spectacle

Step right up, ladies, gentleman, for Atomic Vaudeville’s annual Spooktacular! FUN HOUSE you say? Welcome to a history of tradition, and come what may if you dare enter….

Atomic Vaudeville’s Halloween spectacular FUN HOUSE
Tickets can be bought in advance here. Limited tickets at the door.

The theatre company Atomic Vaudeville has been a Victoria, BC, institution since 2004. For those in the know, it is also a place where emerging local talent can find mentorship and opportunities to hone their skills. Some performers have graduated from the Canadian College of Performing Arts; others, I honestly don’t know. But when the team gathers to create its annual Halloween show, I take notice!

This year’s FUN HOUSE sounded like one I had to check out. Although I don’t get to see Atomic Vaudeville every year, I’ve followed with interest ever since 2016. It’s not only because certain luminaries honed their craft here and moved on to establish careers of their own but also they have other events throughout the years.

There’s Mike Delamont (God Is a Scottish Drag Queen), Wes Borg, the comic musician who co-founded Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie before joining the Atomic Vaudeville team, Ingrid Hansen, the puppeteer known for her work on the Fraggle Rock revival, and Trevor Hinton, an actor who appeared in Bones of Crows. The latter is amazing because I’ve seen him perform in numerous genre shows over the years.

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[Interview] Rotty’s Creations Is Shifting Focus and is Ready To Make A Dent in Victoria, BC!

Kevin Rottaris brings his special effects experience to Rotty’s Creations in Victoria, where collectibles and original creations are just the beginning of a shop with plans for gaming and hands-on workshops.

Kevin Rottaris
Holding an original creation, an Alien facehugger mask!

791 Fort St.
Victoria, BC V8W 1G9

Phone: (250) 590-1418
Tues to Sun 11am to 8pm
(10pm Sat/Sun)

Kevin Rottaris wears many hats. He grew up on a farm, served in the military as a combat engineer, and has always had a passion for the geekier side of life. Whether that is with Aliens or Star Wars, he certainly has a love for the movies of the 70s to 80s more so than any other era. During my sneak preview of Rotty’s Creations, a maker space and retail store that will be opening Oct 16th, his interests were easy to spot on the shelves. Anything newer, like Pokémon and the TCG market, came from his business partner, Reese Bourdon.

But this is more than a store. Cinematic nostalgia is everywhere, and there are plans for a makerspace that will be the second level. Before coming to Victoria, he spent about a year and a half running the operation in Red Deer, Alberta, hoping to return to more work in the film industry as a special effects artist. Sales were terrific, but he wasn’t doing everything he’d hoped to get back to after “settling down.”

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To the West Coast and Not Beyond! Shot in Vancouver: Adventures in Hollywood North Dives Deep Into Pop Culture History in BC!

Shot in Vancouver traces the productions that helped shape British Columbia’s screen industry. Sam Wiebe’s book rewards curiosity with familiar favourites and local discoveries, although its preview copy leaves some gaps.

Shot in Vancouver
Available to order on Amazon USA

The one thing I immediately noticed in Sam Wiebe’s book, Shot in Vancouver: Adventures in Hollywood North, is the lack of an index in the preview copy I received to read. When I’m trying to find out whether a certain movie or television production was filmed in town, at Terminal City, or somewhere else, having an index would come in handy. If that’s intentionally part of this book’s design, I hope the retail copy will be different. That’s because of the way he’s built the chapters, which move back and forth in chronology and purpose.

And along the way, the details he offers can make or break a section. That includes historical anecdotes about when Yvonne De Carlo made this city her home and why some Asian movies were filmed here. When downtown Vancouver was part of the Rumble in the Bronx set and the biggest running joke amongst fans during release was why are there mountains in the background? Even I looked at this chapter rather than to start on page one to see if that concern was ever addressed by the producers. Even today, there’s no official statement. Had this film historian sought an answer, I’d be pleased. But instead, all he wrote about is how this film helped certain talents begin their legacy.

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Halloween 2026 in Victoria, BC: From Spooky Performance Theatre to Wicked Markets, This List Has ‘Em All

No this in’t Pokemon, but it seems Halloween 2026 in Victoria, BC will be packed with enough variety to please little ones and big ones with this collection of top picks on what to do that isn’t corporate sponsor related.

Halloween 2026 in Victoria, BC with Chibi EdThis year’s list of theatrical style events for Halloween 2026 in Victoria, BC is looking good. How much I can take on depends on whether these ol’ bones can still rattle with the best of them! If I had to limit myself, my top picks would include High Moon, which the producers say will be louder and bloodier. It’ll be an improvement upon what I said in my review, or one can read my interview with the creators here. And along with Dread Noir, Final Curtain, and Witches in the Closet, this year promises to be a spooky good time.

That’s technically four, but I’d include Halloween Market YYJ because it has an entertainment component, music from DJ Brian Boitano, workshops, and pumpkin beer. Now in its fifth year, it’s worth mentioning! The following is a list of everything I’ve compiled with the assistance of the great community of Theatre Victoria on Facebook!

Live Theatre Productions

An All-Drag Cast: Rocky Horror

Rocky Horror LipsDate(s): Oct. 22–25, 2026
Venue: Greenhouse (1411 Quadra Street)

Drag Sunday Productions’ all-drag parody of The Rocky Horror Picture Show returns for its fifth year. This strictly 19+ audience-participation event invites guests to dress up, shout callbacks, and use props while the cast serves up a campy, high-energy take on the cult classic. ID is checked at the door.

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Victoria’s Collectable Scene Is Booming, But Is There Enough Pie for This Explosive Growth?

Victoria’s collectable scene is getting crowded with back-to-back monthly events. Whether this city has enough collectors, vendors, and discretionary dollars to sustain them all is a bigger question than whether we gotta collect ’em all!

Victoria's Collectable Scene

It’s a gamble and a roll of a die, or tossing of a dart, to see which event is worth checking out!

It seems more nerdy swap meets are taking place in my hometown, and I doubt a weekly schedule of events is going to work. When everyone wants a piece of the pie, and there isn’t enough to go around, the bakery is going to run out. That’s how I describe what’s happening to Victoria’s collectable scene this year.

Once upon a time in this part of the world, there was only a biannual toy fair, a quarterly comic book swap meet and Cherry Bomb’s Nerdy Days of Christmas. In what was once a homegrown scene, things have changed into something else. There are three newcomers thinking there’s gold to find in them thar hills, and they will be individually revealed further down this editorial.

When this city only has so many nerds who want to give “used” stuff a new home, even the post-secondary crowd living in dorm rooms and temporary spaces has only so much room for more stuff. The problem isn’t necessarily that Victoria has too many collectors. It’s that there are only so many customers, vendors, weekends, and discretionary dollars to go around. A collector who spends $200 at one show isn’t likely to have more money to spend at next weekend’s event.

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So What’s Hot or Should That Be Shot in Vancouver? A Prediction on What Adventures in Hollywood North Will Be Recounted.

The upcoming book Shot in Vancouver may not be comprehensive, but it will feature nearly every film and television production that decided to make the Greater Mainland home for many years while that story was being filmed.

Shot in Vancouver book cover
Available to pre-order on Amazon USA.

Release Date: October 6, 2026

When film aficionados and television professionals talk about the work they’ve done in the upcoming book Shot in Vancouver, published by Arsenal Pulp Press, it’s safe to say the entertainment industry is booming. Over time, even viewers have learned to recognize certain city landmarks, the backdrop of the Rockies and the foundations supporting the SkyTrain.

That’s because similar architecture is used throughout the world to keep those rails moving. Technically, there are more than just these telltale signs when one starts exploring the region. Whether filming takes place near Steveston in Richmond, Surrey or even Abbotsford, the diversity is enormous. That’s why filming in the Lower Mainland is not only lucrative, but also tells a story of its own.

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