Tag: Victoria

GottaCon Picks Up New Hotel Sponsor

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Gottacon

The following information was provided by Evan Hatch, co-organizer of the GottaCon gaming convention:

The Empress, which is connected to the conference centre, is now confirmed as one of our two hotel sponsors this year with rooms at $99/night!!! This is an amazing introductory year rate. Full details are coming to our website in the next week but you can now call and book your rooms by calling 250-384-8111 or 1-800-441-1414 and mentioning you are booking for the GottaCon 2014 Gaming Convention otherwise this rate will not be available. Also the hotel is providing parking (valet or self) at $20 per day instead of $32. If that parking fee is still too rich for your blood we are looking at other options and will release that soon.
We are extremely excited to have the Empress take part in our event with such an affordable rate for such an amazing hotel…and you don’t even have to walk outside! Room quantities are limited so call and get yours asap!

The GottaCon Gaming Convention runs from Feb 28 – March 2, 2014 in Victoria, British Columbia. You can visit GottaCon’s official website here.

[Victoria, BC] Rocky Horror Show: Its Good To Relieve a Little … Tension

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Revisions by Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

rockyhorror2Rocky Horror Show
McPherson Playhouse
Oct. 31 – Nov. 1, 2013

Kaleidoscope Theatre lets it all hang out as sexual promiscuity mixes with fetishes, classic Hollywood horror and a little alien fun. With Rocky Horror Show — a benefit performance in support of continuing this groups effort to bring the Arts to the youths of Victoria — lines are blurred between hero and villain. And perhaps we are all just people wanting to be understood.

The Rocky Horror original stage show saw success at London’s Royal Court Theatre before going on to greater success in the United States, thanks in part to producer Lou Adler. With UK show director Jim Sharman and original star Tim Curry as Frank N’ Furter (later replaced by Paul Jabara) transferred to the US, the rest of the cast was filled with Hollywood and Broadway performers. Pre-Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf would play the roles of both Eddie and Dr. Scott.

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Happy Halloween From Otaku no Culture!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

That candy is obviously sugar-free. The poor child in the corner has died from malnutrition because of it.
That candy is obviously sugar-free. The poor child in the corner has died from malnutrition because of it.

We here at Otaku no Culture would like to wish all of our readers a safe and happy Halloween!

In this photo is Denise Pearson, award-winning professional Johnny Depp impersonator. Here she is as Captain Jack at Carnevil 2013, a event run on borrowed property by neighbourhood parents.

[Victoria, BC] Exploring Dracula, The Blood is The Life’s Revisions & News for Next Year

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Dracula

Craigdarroch Castle
1050 Joan Crescent
Victoria, BC V8S 3L5

Ticket Reservations:
250-592-5323

Dates and times:
October 30th 7pm & 9pm
October 31st 8pm

Lord Dracula is back, and this time, the terror is twice as bloody, if not wickedly fun. Launch Pad and Giggling Iguana Productions revisits the legend of the vampire king in a show that’s said to be pumped up to an extra level of terror. Practically all of the classics from the Golden Age of Terror — Dorian Gray, Jekyll & Hyde, Poe and Faust — has been covered, and the news that The Wolfman will be appearing next will be highly anticipated. To round out the world, Frankenstein may be a massive undertaking to pull off. It can be done, if the management of Craigdarroch Castle allows it.

But for visitors pondering a visit to Victoria, BC for All Hallows Eve, they might want to consider purchasing tickets in advance to ensure this type of site-specific play will not be missed.

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[Victoria, BC] Gotta what? Gottacon Changes Venues & Dates!

Without the fans support to help Gottacon grow and now these developer’s support, this broad spectrum convention would not have evolved to what it is now, a tour de force of the local geek culture scene.

gc2014logowebfinalPractically five years in the making, Gottacon is making the leap to become a fully realized convention for gamers and the general public alike. This event will now take place at the Victoria Conference Center, running from February 28th to March 2. Nothing has been said for those leap years—does it mean four days of fun than three in 2016? When considering the rate this show is growing, that is possible. Certain conventions in the States have grown from two days to four because of their popularity.

This event is for the gamer in us all. Whether that be with board games like CLUE, role-playing in the fantastic realms of Dungeons and Dragons, card games like Magic the Gathering, miniature battles with Game Workshop’s Warhammer or video games à la Starcraft, this show has it all. This news is particularly exciting for the local gaming community and this author has seen this event grow from its humble beginnings (behind the scenes and in front of) by simply catering to the dedicated gamer crowd than to make it a side-show attraction.

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Fresh Out of John Cleese

John Cleese rushed through some of his material so that’s why some bits were not as good.

cleese3James Shaw: John Cleese is a living legend but don’t worry, he’ll be dead soon. He assured audiences that.

Ed Sum: And when tickets to his Victoria shows sold out fast, I have to wonder when his Last Time to See Me Before I Die tour will get resurrected.

There’s plenty of good years left for Cleese to create more fabulous work. He is a very colourful comedian. But for whomever that person was who wrote up the marketing for this show, they left one huge plot hole which left some audiences asking questions about later.

There was no Q&A that was supposed to happen after the show. I can’t fault Cleese for wanting to leave early, especially when he’s now in his 70’s, but something was amiss.

JS: He is a legend in this business not only as a great comic actor but also as a great writer. Some of the funniest material was written at least partly by Cleese. Many of my personal favourites include the British TV series At Last the 1948 Show, Doctor at Large, The Two Ronnies, Fawlty Towers and the feature film A Fish Called Wanda. At this stage of his career, John Cleese has enough credits to his name to host a two-hour retrospective of his life. And what a treat it is to sit through. Although at least some of this material you will find similar if you were in the audience of his 2011 Alimony tour, those on this side of the pond will be mostly unfamiliar with it.

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