The Rocky Horror Picture Show returns in dazzling 4K and live spectacle across North America. From Vancouver’s shadow casts to Victoria’s drag shows, fans are doing the time warp again with music, improv, and midnight magic.
This year, fans of The Rocky Horror Show have extra ways to do the time warp! Not only is there a 4K restoration currently available as a limited edition steelbook set (Amazon link) for October. While this edition has some new bonus material, it may eventually filter down to a standard release TBA.
But more importantly, nearly every city is involved with a 50th year anniversary celebration. From Victoria to all other points, these events taking place across North America will have some people considering making a pilgramage to a major city. In the Pacific Northwest, the Spectacular Tour had/has three stops! It began in Alaska, moved to Vancouver, but there’s more….
53 more stops remain as it tours across the U.S. and Canada, featuring original cast members Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, and Nell Campbell. The tour began in late September and continues through mid-November. Details and tickets for each performance can be found here.
But for those unable to attend, there’s other takes to enjoy. They help keep that midnight madness that defines the Rocky spirit alive:
A haunting werewolf western under the open sky—High Moon turns Heritage Acres into a frontier of ghosts, grief, and transformation, where sound and shadow blur the line between past and present.
I’m sure most fans of Ian Case’s past community theatre work will agree: “Welcome back!” His signature style on crafting fun Halloween-style shows with David Elendune, another local producer, shows how pulpy things can get, and High Moon, A Werewolf Western is a wonderful return to form. Together, they represent the next evolution in installation theatre—one that perhaps belongs outdoors rather than indoors.
Of course, with Garden City’s notoriously fickle weather, we must take such hopes with a grain of salt. The opening night enjoyed clear skies (sadly, the Harvest lunar event occurred on October 7), but the air was cool enough to carry every echo. Within the darkened corners of Heritage Acres in North Saanich, the stage was perfect for their werewolf western.
When every member of the cast and crew is invested in setting the mood, it shows—they caught that intangible magic between setting and story. From the narrator to the immersive world itself, I was drawn in completely.
Billy (Ryan Kniel) returns home to find much of it in ruin. His brother, James (Rod Peter Jr., pictured center) does his best to keep the homestead alive. After their parents’ passing, old memories cling like dust in the rafters. Both men are haunted—by grief, guilt, and the ghosts of old ideals. While the elder clings to the South’s faded glory, the younger looks toward reinvention.
Their journey winds through the prairie’s moral twilight, with a well-dressed bounty hunter (Rosemary Jeffery, pictured left) serving as guide.
Kniel shines as a character actor, and though the dialogue gets over the top, he fully embraces it. He begins his journey as a war veteran who wants to relive the traditions of the South, while something else calls to him. Although the detail of where he found the talisman that warped his mind isn’t clearly stated, that’s okay. When he offers it to the local witch-lady, Madame Grey (Wendy Magahay, pictured right, clearly relishing the role), thinking he can earn some good money, that’s when the story starts to bare its fangs!
The amulet is an evil device, and from here, the legend takes root. Billy doesn’t believe in hocus pocus, but once blood touches it, his descent into madness unspools like a fever dream—he becomes part of it rather than trying to discard it. I must admit, I was eager to learn more about its lore. Like a good cinematic tale, that revelation comes later, and I could picture it as vividly as the creation of the One Ring in Lord of the Rings.
The brothers clash more than once, and their fellowship dissolves under the weight of old grievances. To say more would spoil the pulse-quickening second act and climax, but it’s safe to say every performer fires on all cylinders in this pulp-styled tribute to the wild west. Beneath its gun smoke and growls, the play explores isolation, legacy, and what it means to tame a forbidden frontier.
The story’s subtle nods reminded me of Forever Knight, leaving a lingering question: will Billy accept his fate or find a way to undo it? The Weird West is a genre too seldom seen on stage, and knowing this production was built by locals for locals made me grin from ear to ear.
Final Thoughts on High Moon
This isn’t a show built on spectacle, but on sensation. The sound of crickets—both real and conjured—rose and fell like breath. Somewhere, the twang of an old guitar threaded through the dark. Shadows stretched across the open field, and if you weren’t careful, you might swear something unseen moved just behind you. And when the place carries anecdotal whispers of lingering memories, the nights aren’t always just eerily chilly.
That’s the beauty of outdoor performances. Some places like this one contain a gentle haunting, not born of fear but of memory. Here, light, sound, and story interlace until the line between past and present grows thin enough to step across.
Experience 20 Questions at Victoria Fringe: two paranormal investigators, a mischievous Reaper, and secrets that’ll haunt you long after the show ends.
Played at the Victoria Fringe Festival August 22nd and 31st
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.
In what makes John Sobol’s Juicy Woo Woo – the UFO Cabaret – unique is that he’s up to date with the latest facts, theories and disguises. And he encourages everyone to look at the facts too!
Remaining Shows Aug 26 8:00 pm
Some conspiracies about the alien agenda lean into Juicy Woo Woo! territory—and if John Sobol has any say, that’s exactly where he wants to lead us. As a storyteller and musician, he mixes UFO lore, pop culture, and cosmic musings into a 60-minute journey that moves from fear to acceptance. With his show, he wants audiences to feel they are in the experience. Here, they also get caught up in the latest reports too.
There are no cameos from the jazz greats I usually spin, but I swear Pharoah Sanders might have heard the call.Anything tied to cosmic consciousness or “The One” could appear, though that might overwhelm a casual Fringe crowd. As for the Lemurians of Mt. Shasta or why some people live in a shared bubble, that depends on which studies you trust.
We offer our top ten picks on what to see at the 2025 Victoria Fringe Festival, and they span a wide range that includes comedy, burlesque and sci-fi!
The 2025 Victoria Fringe Festival will soon take over the Garden City and while I’m divided since it’s the start of Ghost Month, I’ll handle both in my own super and natural way. This year’s lineup promises a fantastic mix of comedy, drama, sci-fi, and musicals from both local and touring artists. To help you navigate the packed schedule, I’ve put together a list of must-see picks that cover everything from improvised Shakespeare to a musical about Rapunzel and a drag sci-fi show. Whether you’re looking for something spooky, silly, or seriously thought-provoking, this guide has you covered.
HINOX/TY WESLEY Victoria, BC Created by: Hinox/Ty Wesley
Two paranormal investigators try to save their jobs until an annoying mysterious entity comes along and lures them into playing a game to save them from their ‘horrible fate’. Can they save themselves before their first date?
Showtimes: August 22 at 7:30 pm, August 31 at 5:00 pm.
LEIF OLESON-CORMACK Edmonton, AB Written by: Leif Oleson-Cormack
A hit at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, this (unfortunately) true story follows a disastrous Disneyland trip that spirals into crime, delusion, and chaos on the night of the 2008 US election—featuring sinister sugar daddies, Sinatra impersonators, and a LOT of magical thinking along the way.
Showtimes: August 27 at 6:00 pm, August 28 at 7:15 pm, August 29 at 5:30 pm, August 30 at 12:00 pm, August 31 at 4:15 pm.
SOBOLTALK Burritt Rapids, ON Created by: John Sobol
Juicy Woo-Woo! – the UFO Cabaret – features funky saxman and high-octane action poet John Sobol in a dazzling one-man show that offers a cogent and mind-expanding recap of the latest stunning developments in the weird and wild realm of UFOs.
Showtimes: August 21 at 7:45 pm, August 22 at 6:00 pm, August 23 at 3:15 pm & 2:00 pm, August 26 at 8:00 pm.
BECOMING THEATER Victoria, BC Created by: Andrew Sawyer
An original musical based on the story of Rapunzel. When she learns she isn’t who she thought she is, Rapunzel travels down into the magical forest below her tower to find her name.
Showtimes: August 21 at 8:00 pm, August 27 at 8:00 pm, August 28 at 8:00 pm.
ALECTORIA PRODUCTIONS Victoria, BC Created by: Alectoria Productions
The creatures that live in those hidden places all around us have crawled out of the ocean and the forest and the mountains to speak with you at Macauley Point. They have been here since time began, and they are ready to share their story.
Show Dates: August 20-31, 2025. Specific showtimes are not yet listed.
PLASTIK THEATRIK Victoria, BC Created by: Lore Andrea
From the nightmarish visions of an outcast Latina comes this surreal collection of short vignettes blended together with a whimsical and eerie flavour.
Show Dates: August 20-31, 2025. Specific showtimes are not yet listed.
RUBY ENTERTAINMENTS AND EVENTS Victoria, BC Created by: Ruby a.k.a Sarah Smith
By donation at the venue. People are pleasure! Doomsday got you down? Practice “radical joy” with us! Our travelling carnival-style entertainment has body-positive vibes. A community of celebration, with performances in the Pop Up circus caravan, accompanied by novel elements like popcorn, games, and prizes. It’s go-go on the go!
DRAG SUNDAY PRODUCTIONS Victoria, BC Created by: Aaron Nickol/Shelita Cox
What do you do when the stories you needed growing up didn’t exist? This one-person sci-fi drag musical is a love letter to the queer futures we dream of, and a fight song for the histories we’ve lost. Sequins. Synths. And outer space.
Show Dates: August 23-30, 2025. Specific showtimes are not yet listed.
Next month will present various opportunities to acknowledge what makes this continent special with its look at what its F1RST settlers have done when they settled this land.
Visitors to Victoria, British Columbia might want to plan if they want to take part at F1RST: A Celebration of Aboriginal Film while here. This short movie marathon run by the folks from the Victoria Film Festival is now in its second year. It may well be replacing Feast Food+Film, an event that may have ended when the pandemic hit.
In this follow-up to last week’s post, this introduction provides more information about this sophomore event and what to expect next. After this show is Free-B Summer Nights screenings at Beacon Hill Park.
When a lot of events, operations, and festivals, including this blog, makes our home in this region, we are all honoured to be based on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples of the Songhees Nation and Xwsepsum Nation, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
This year, fans of The Rocky Horror Show have extra ways to do the time warp! Not only is there a 4K restoration currently available as a limited edition steelbook set (Amazon link) for October. While this edition has some new bonus material, it may eventually filter down to a standard release TBA.
The 
HINOX/TY WESLEY Victoria, BC 
LEIF OLESON-CORMACK Edmonton, AB 
TAMLYNN BRYSON Toronto, ON 
SOBOLTALK Burritt Rapids, ON 
BECOMING THEATER Victoria, BC 
ALECTORIA PRODUCTIONS Victoria, BC 
PLASTIK THEATRIK Victoria, BC 
DRAG SUNDAY PRODUCTIONS Victoria, BC 
THE SPONTANEOUS SHAKESPEARE COMPANY Vancouver, BC 
Visitors to Victoria, British Columbia might want to plan if they want to take part at