East Van Laugh RIOT
Presented by Charlie Demers and Friends

The Rio Theatre's comedy night featuring Vancouver’s top stand-up comedians from CBC, Netflix, Just For Laughs and more returns on Friday, May 16.

(Because we could all use a good laugh…)

Friday, May 16
Featuring Randee Neumeyer & Graham Clark
With special guests Jess Lupini & Sean Devlin

Doors 7:15 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Please arrive on time. Start time subject to change.

BONUS! Health care workers get in free with valid ID.

Charlie Demers is a Juno-nominated stand-up comedian, a regular on CBC Radio's "The Debaters," and co-star of two Emmy-winning Netflix animated series, "Beat Bugs" and "The Last Kids on Earth." He lives four blocks from the Rio Theatre.

JOE LIST: SMALL BALL is the fourth stand up comedy special from comedian Joe List. Following the smash successes of his previous specials “I Hate Myself”, “This Year’s Material” and “Enough For Everybody," SMALL BALL finds Joe shortly after the birth of his first child, musing on the life-altering experiences of childbirth, married sex and ordering at Starbucks. Shot at two different clubs on back to back nights, “Small Ball” captures Joe at his best and promises to have moviegoers spilling their popcorn and spitting out their coke.

Wednesday, May 21 One Night Only!
Doors 6:30 pm | Movie 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Joe List - Biography

Joe List is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known for his comedy specials “I Hate Myself”, “This Year’s Material” and “Enough For Everybody”, as well as his starring role in the feature film, FOURTH OF JULY (directed by Louis CK). During Joe’s two decade tenure as a comedian, he has released three specials, earned a spot as a finalist on NBC's “Last Comic Standing”, starred in season 2 of Netflix's “The Stand Ups” and appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman”, “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and “Conan”. List’s albums 'So Far No Good' and 'Are You Mad at Me?' (through Comedy Central Records) can frequently be heard on Sirius Radio. Joe currently serves as the co-host of the popular weekly podcast “Tuesdays with Stories' alongside comedian Mark Normand as well as his own podcast “Mindful Metal Jacket”. Based in New York City, List can be seen regularly at The Comedy Cellar.

JOE LIST: SMALL BALL (Willie Rockefeller, 2025 / 72 mins / NR)

Cinematography: Derek Gildersleeve
Editor: Matthew Pearson
Produced by: Chris Burns

"I am not an animal! I am a human being! I.. am... a... man!"

With this poignant second feature, David Lynch brought his atmospheric visual and sonic palette to a notorious true story set in Victorian England. When the London surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) meets the freak-show performer John Merrick (John Hurt), who has severe skeletal and soft-tissue deformities, he assumes that he must be intellectually disabled as well. As the two men spend more time together, though, Merrick reveals the intelligence, gentle nature, and profound sense of dignity that lie beneath his shocking appearance, and he and Treves develop a friendship.

Shot in gorgeous black and white and boasting a stellar supporting cast that includes Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Freddie Jones and Wendy Hiller, THE ELEPHANT MAN was nominated for eight Academy Awards, cementing Lynch’s reputation as one of American cinema’s most visionary talents.

"David Lynch's powerful depiction of Merrick (played by John Hurt) moves a viewer from revulsion and fear to empathy and tenderness. That's the very movement of the story itself." (The New Yorker)

"It is an absorbing and satisfying drama, and John Hurt's Merrick is very powerful." (Guardian)

"Director David Lynch has created an eerily compelling atmosphere in recounting a hideously deformed man's perilous life in Victorian England." (Variety)

"This is a tale of redemption and transcendence, of the hunchback of London Hospital, of the noble phantom who wanted to go to the opera, of Beauty and the Beast." (TIME Magazine)

Wednesday, May 21
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Please arrive on time. Start time subject to change.

THE ELEPHANT MAN (David Lynch, 1980 / 124 mins / PG) A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.

SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED is a wildly entertaining and fittingly unconventional documentary about convention-defying singer, songwriter and record producer Jerry Williams, aka 'Swamp Dogg', one of the great cult figures of 20th-century American music whose singular voice and ideas have shaped the history not merely of soul music, but of country, hip-hop and a dozen other genres.

In the film, the titular artist and his "bachelor pad of aging musicians", including the charming Guitar Shorty and lovably quirky Moogstar, navigate the tumultuous music industry, transform their home into an artistic playground and invite fellow musicians like Jenny Lewis, Will Calhoun, and John Prine and superfans Mike Judge, Johnny Knoxville, and Tom Kenny to play in their unique musical sandbox... and paint Swamp Dogg's pool. Bursting with infectious personality and stoner energy, SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED is a music documentary unlike any other.

"There are very few artists quite like Swamp Dogg, and Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted is here for it." (Austin Chronicle)

"Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson’s 'Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted' isn’t the sort of “important” documentary that generally wins awards, but it’s a fine example of something even rarer: a documentary that draws its voice and aesthetic from the spirit of its subject, resulting in a tight 97 minutes that feel organic and satisfying and, as befits that subject, appealingly odd." (Hollywood Reporter)

Presented in partnership with RANGE Magazine.

Thursday, May 22
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED (Ryan Olson & Isaac Gale, 2025 / 97 mins / NR) Legendary musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, has transformed his home into an artistic playground. Together they navigate the tumultuous music industry, and forge a unique and inspiring path across time and space.

London. The 1960s. Two unemployed actors—acerbic, elegantly wasted Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and the anxiety-ridden "I" (Paul McGann)—drown their frustrations in booze, pills, and lighter fluid. When Withnail's Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) offers his cottage, they escape the squalor of their flat for a week in the country. They soon realize they’ve gone on holiday by mistake when their wits—and friendship—are sorely tested by violent downpours, less than hospitable locals, and empty cupboards. An intelligent, superbly acted, and hilarious film, Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical cult favorite is presented here in its complete and uncut version.

"There is a certain kind of movie that gets praised not so much because of its virtues as because, in some strange way, we suspect that no one would ever dare make its like again. 'Withnail and I' is one of those enterprises." (Guardian UK)

"Self-destruction has never been more articulate or refreshingly amusing." (Toronto Star)

Thursday, May 22
Doors 8:15 pm | Movie 8:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

WITHNAIL AND I (Bruce Robinson, 1987 / 14A / 107 mins) Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood (Paul McGann) and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty (Richard Griffiths), they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.

Canadian auteur David Cronenberg occupies a very special place in all of our hearts - and minds. His catalogue of films is both varied and unique - offerings ranging from straight-up splatter to bodice-ripping costume dramas - and are frequently requested from our dedicated core of regular Rio Theatre audience members.

In this seminal example of "Cronenberg-esque" horror sci-fi, James Woods stars as Max Renn, the president of a trashy TV channel, who is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend (the always sexy and slightly kinky Deborah Harry) auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the strange truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought. Also starring Sonja Smits.

"Visually audacious, disorienting, and just plain weird, VIDEODROME's musings on technology, entertainment, and politics still feel fresh today." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"There's little denying that Cronenberg was way ahead of his time with much of VIDEODROME." (FEARnet)

Friday, May 23
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Night! Friday Late Night Movie Tickets are 2-for-1 entry!

VIDEODROME (David Cronenberg, 1983 / 87 mins) A sleazy cable-TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control in a very unusual fashion when he acquires a new kind of programming for his station.

From writer-director Isaiah Saxon, making his feature-film-making debut, comes a story of love, longing, and acceptance centering on a teenage girl who befriends a mysterious forest creature she encounters in the woods.

THE LEGEND OF OCHI follows Yuri (Helena Zengel), a teenager from a remote island known as Carpathia. Raised by a loving and comically militant father (Willem Dafoe), she is taught to fear and hunt the mythical species known as the Ochi. But when Yuri, closed-off and misunderstood, encounters a baby ochi, wounded and alone, she finds an inexplicable sense of kinship. Rebelling against the rules of her father and her world, she runs away from home and embarks on a quest to reunite the creature with its family. With Finn Wolfhard, Emma Watson.

"Burnished by Evan Prosofsky’s painterly cinematography, 'The Legend of Ochi' is a beautiful case for the tactile spectacle of puppetry as maybe the most intimate enchantment tool." (Los Angeles Times)

"A film that tells its own tale, rather than the one it thinks you want to hear, this one has a touch of madness to it, and it seems fashioned from love and old parts for people who genuinely don’t want to know what’s going to happen next." (Washington Post)

"The movie is tightly packed with incident, maybe overpacked, but Saxon’s fairy tale is an intense, lived-in experience, its centuries-old folkloric atmosphere dotted with all the usual intrusive elements of progress." (Chicago Tribune)

"The film’s at its most breathtaking when simply luxuriating in the lush, dreamy ambience of its remote landscape, where alpine lakes abound and there’s always a light haze of rain to the mountain air." (Little White Lies)

Saturday, May 24
Doors 11:30 am | Movie 12:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE LEGEND OF OCHI (Isaiah Saxon, 2025 / 95 mins / PG) In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.

Throughout the 1980s, bands like D.O.A. helped define the decade's deafening hardcore punk sound, paving the way for the eventual explosion of punk groups through radio and MTV in the decades to come. While punk rock's upper echelon may no longer be as culturally seditious as they once were,  the genre's effect on a new generation of activists and aspiring politicians has never been more clear.

In 2018, after 40 years of fighting against oppression, homelessness and corporate greed in the U.S. and in his native Canada, D.O.A. frontman, activist and cultural politician Joey “Shithead" Keithley decided to turn art into life and run against the outspoken Mayor of Burnaby (population: 250,000), Derek Corrigan. Against all odds—and with only a $7000 campaign budget—Keithley won a city councillor seat in Burnaby, BC that year and helped to unseat the entrenched five-term Corrigan who once famously said, “I would never bend over to give a homeless person a dime because he might steal my watch."

Will Keithley's message and DIY approach to campaigning resonate with voters in the upcoming Burnaby election of 2022? Win or lose, we will document him every step of the way as he campaigns for a second term. This is a film that will explore how music and activism continue to interlink, with music often serving as an introduction to social issues that inspire people to get involved and foster dynamic change.

Joey Keithley himself will be in attendance for a live Q&A!

Saturday, May 24
Doors 2:15  | Movie 2:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE (Scott Crawford | 2024 | 88 mins | NR) Joey Keithley of DOA, Canada’s most iconic punk, is now an underdog, against all odds elected politician in Vancouver, Burnaby, BC. This story documents his  40+ year career as an activist and musician and his journey as he runs for a nail-biting second term re-election.

A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show on Saturday May 24th!

Local luminary April O’Peel has curated a show full of wonder sure to dazzle and delight our fun loving audience! The theme is NO THEME! That’s right! These talented performers will each be performing one act of their choosing! What act will they decide to bring to The Rio Theatre Burlesque and Variety Show!? Find out on Saturday May 24th as these stars align for one night only!

Saturday, May 24
Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early bird tickets just $20, available online only until midnight, May 12!

General Admission $30 + s/c | $35 + s/c at the door
VIP tickets (Rows 1-3, centre section) $40+ s/c
Squad Pass (Group of Four Tickets – online only) $100+ s/c

With Featured Performances By:

Amethyst Howl | Allie Bi Love | Bitch Sassidy | Delta Daggers | Donna Boss Rogers
Honey Lustre | Lola Loops | April O'Peel | Passion & Performance Burlesque Company
Shaboobie Booberella & Johnny Bongo

Hosted by Karla Marx

Join us at the Rio Theatre for Korean-born, B.C.-raised filmmaker James Yoo's Maple Ridge-shot first feature, MONGRELS, a film that explores both grief and the immigrant experience through a visionary approach to surreal imagery. Yoo will be in attendance for a post-show Q&A!

In rural Canada in the 1990s, a Korean family, a widower, his teenage son, and young daughter, attempts to find footing in a new land while navigating the dark forests of grief. Sonny has been hired to eradicate the feral canines plaguing the town, while sensitive Hajoon figures out what it means to be a man. Finally, young Hana, missing her mother, dreams up ways to make her return.

"'Mongrels' [is] both an exciting first feature and one worth seeking out. " (That Shelf)

"Jerome Yoo has emerged as one of Vancouver’s most exciting new voices in film. His debut feature, 'Mongrels', premiered to a sold-out audience at the Vancouver International Film Festival last fall, drawing widespread acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and vivid imagery. The buzz around 'Mongrels' has only grown since, with Yoo recently winning an award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia." (Georgia Straight)

Sunday, May 25
Doors 1:30 pm | Movie 2:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MONGRELS (Jerome Yoo, 2024 / 107 mins / NR / Korean with English subtitles) The howling of wild dogs through the windows of a summer evening… In the middle of the night, a man talks to his dead wife on a disconnected telephone… Airplanes are swallowed up in the sky.

From the hearts and minds of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan comes THE LIFE OF CHUCK, the extraordinary story of an ordinary man. This unforgettable, genre-bending tale celebrates the life of Charles 'Chuck' Krantz as he experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, Mia Sara, Matthew Lillard, Kate Siegel, and Mark Hamill.

Vancouver Premiere! Filmmaker Mike Flanagan will be in attendance for a Q&A.

Winner of the People's Choice Award, Toronto International Film Fest 2024

"A film that’s as sweet as it is scary, and whose frights are the sort that come from all-too-relatable fears about being alone, being apart, and being unable to hold onto the people and memories that matter most." (The Daily Beast)

"This is one of the best ensembles of the year, filled in with appearances by many of Flanagan’s past collaborators." (RogerEbert.com)

"'The Life of Chuck' is miraculous, a feather in [Mike] Flanagan’s already-decorated cap, and a dance worth saying yes to." (Film Obsessive)

Sunday, May 25 Advance Screening
Doors 5:00 pm | Film 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE LIFE OF CHUCK (Mike Flanagan, 2025 / 110 mins / PG) A life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King's novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.

Get your tickets now for the 2024 Director's Cut screening of Mike Flanagan's HUSH. Oh, and guess who will be joining us to intro the film, none other than Mr. Flanagan himself. Happening only at the Rio Theatre on Sunday, May 25.

Deaf-mute horror author Maddie Young lost her abilities to hear and speak after contracting bacterial meningitis at age 13, causing hearing loss and temporary vocal cord paresis which became permanent after an unsuccessful surgery. Following the critical acclaim of her novel Midnight Mass, Maddie has left New York City for a solitary life in the woods with her cat, struggling to write her next book.

"By the end of the film's brief runtime (it runs less than 80 minutes without credits), it's done exactly what it set out to do, which is to give you a thrilling, engaging experience without wasting its time or overstaying its welcome." (The Blu Spot)

"In the realm of suspense, 'Hush' stands out as a tightly wound thriller, driven by Kate Siegel’s performance and Mike Flanagan’s direction, which never misses a beat." (Denton Record-Chronicle)

Sunday, May 25
Doors 8:45 pm | Film 9:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time. 

HUSH: Director's Cut (Mike Flanagan, 2016 / 82 mins / 14A ) A deaf woman is stalked by a psychotic killer in her secluded home.

At the height of summer, 18-year-old Cécile is languishing by the French seaside with her handsome father, Raymond, and his girlfriend, Elsa, when the arrival of her late mother’s friend, Anne, changes everything. Amid the sun-drenched splendour of their surroundings, Cécile’s world is threatened and, desperate to regain control, she sets in motion a plan to drive Anne away with tragic consequences.

An adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s unforgettable coming-of-age novel by the same title, Durga Chew-Bose’s debut feature BONJOUR TRISTESSE masterfully captures the complexity of relationships between women and how they wield influence over one another’s fates. With Lily McInerny, Chloë Sevigny, Claes Bang, Naïlia Harzoune.

"'Bonjour Tristesse' is a rich experience in more ways than one, while it also burns beneath with a rising secret fire. Give it some patience, and it will give you an unforgettable experience." (Film Threat)

"The film’s two hours float by like a boat on the Riviera waters – languorous with a delicious sprinkling of lingering disquietude. Oh, such beautiful, privileged indolence: j’ai la flemme." (Cineuropa)

"Director Durga Chew-Bose makes a convincing case for the remake by showing, like Cécile, a keen awareness of how to direct a gaze." (New York Times)

Monday, May 26
Doors 6:00 pm| Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BONJOUR TRISTESSE (Durga Chew-Bose, 2025 / 110 mins / PG / French and English with English subs) Cécile's relaxing summer with her father in the south of France is upended by the arrival of the enigmatic Anne.

THE SHROUDS revolves around a technological entrepreneur, Karsh, who is still grieving the loss of his wife, Becca. When several graves, including Becca's, are desecrated, Karsh embarks on a quest to find the perpetrator, which leads him down a nightmarish path of paranoia and grief when he engineers a technology that allows loved ones to watch their deceased family members decompose in specially designed burial shrouds. With Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE, BLACK SWAN), Diane Kruger (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Guy Pearce (MEMENTO, THE BRUTALIST), and Sandrine Holt.

"'The Shrouds' is the saddest movie David Cronenberg has ever made. It’s steeped in grief; the loss of the filmmaker’s wife Carolyn in 2017 is the engine that drives every scene, and his decision to style and groom star Vincent Cassel as his own doppelgänger brings the point home all the more powerfully." (TIFF.net)

"Even when purporting to tell his own story, Cronenberg cannot help but leave us with something more expansively unsettling." (The New Yorker)

Monday, May 26
Doors 8:45 pm | Movie 9:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE SHROUDS (David Cronenberg, 2025 / 121 mins  18A) Karsh, a creative entrepreneur who lost his spouse, develops a machine designed to communicate with deceased individuals.

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Tuesday, May 27 for the premiere of the Vancouver B Movie Factory Production's latest movie, SHADOW RULE THE LIGHT.

The film follows the self-proclaimed “Best Filmmaker Ever” robot, T.O.S.T.Y. He reluctantly showcases his latest creation to his executive producer, sextillionaire Tracy Cake. Watch as he tries to justify his bad decisions, laugh at the campiness, call out all the continuity failures and be amazed at how bad the special effects are.

SHADOW RULE THE LIGHT really sets the bar—low. We are proud to say it could be the worst film ever made. Truly, a shining example of ambition outpacing execution. Don’t take our word for it. See it for yourself and you’ll be the judge.

Tuesday, May 27
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets just $15 (all in) available only until May 19, midnight!

General Admission $18 (all in)

Since 2012, the Vancouver B Movie Factory has been the creative force behind over 300 short films, three TV shows, and two feature films, inspiring thousands to chase their filmmaking dreams. Our passion for storytelling has even made waves internationally, influencing B Movie Factories in China, Japan, and India. We did so well because we made films that were fun to make. We may not have had much, but we had an absolute blast making them and sometimes we got a bit carried away, as you can see in our films. Come, enjoy our happiness and see what people just like you can do when they play together to create this film.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheVancouverBMovieFactory

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheVancouverBMovieFactory

It doesn't get more #MadeInCanada than a film shot right here in Hollywood North with a Vancouver based crew. Gambling addict Lucky (Terry Chen) tries to cover up his losses from his family after being scammed. Like him, Lucky's family also experiences personal struggles that may equally easily swing their future toward stability or collapse.

(Lucky) Star, Terry Chen along with writer & director, Gillian McKercher will be joining us for a live Q&A!

"Being the protagonist, we can’t help but root alongside him that the next game will bring the windfall that will wash away his troubles. But life is rarely that simple and karma is bound and determined not to make things easy for Lucky or his family. Bursts of intense and finely-tailored dialogue are deftly balanced with passages of quiet desperation worthy of the golden age of silent cinema." (Hollywood North Magazine)

Wednesday, May 28
Doors 6:00 PM | Film 6:30 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

LUCKY STAR (Gillian McKercher | 2024 | 85 | NR) When reformed gambler Lucky falls victim to a tax scam, he returns to playing poker to make the money back while his family struggles to make ends meet.

In the midst of darkness, we discover who we truly are.

"The film moved me with its humanity, a ray of hope in a seemingly hopeless conflict. It reaffirmed my faith in the human species.” - James Cameron

Director Stephen Apkon is an award-winning filmmaker and social entrepreneur. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center, a nonprofit film and education center in Pleasantville, NY. Stephen directed 'Disturbing the Peace' and served as an Executive Producer of 'Fantastic Fungi' and 'Planetary.' He is also the author of 'The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens,' with a foreword by Martin Scorsese.

Mr. Apkon will be joining us for a post-screening Q&A.

Thursday, May 29
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY (Stephen Apkon, 2025 / 67 mins / NR) A grassroots group of Palestinians and Israelis work together through non-violent means to build a social infrastructure to end conflict and occupation.

Join us at the Rio Theatre for a Double Creature Feature screening of one of our all-time favourite franchises! We’re going into deep space with Ridley Scott‘s iconic 1979 ALIEN (The Director’s Cut) followed by  James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, ALIENS.

After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn). But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony.

"Cameron is a master of machinery and weaponry, a technical wizard who replaces Scott's refinement with his own kind of muscularity... But with either film, you leave the theater drained, physically exhausted, well-rewarded for all your suffering." (Newsday)

"Delivering generously on the promise he demonstrated in The Terminator, Cameron has given us a seamless motion picture that transforms its not-for-all-tastes subject matter into the stuff of across-the-board appeal." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

With a special LIVE film introduction from Paul Reiser!

Friday, May 30
Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Why not make it a Double Creature Feature with Ridley Scott's original 1979, ALIEN: The Director's Cut, on May 17 for one sweet price HERE?!

Saturday, May 17
ALIEN (The Director’s Cut)
Doors 9:30 pm | Movie 10:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Single film tickets available at www.riotheatretickets.ca

ALIENS (James Cameron | 1986 | 137 mins | 18A) Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.

Hard Rubber Orchestra, Canada’s 18-piece jazz powerhouse, will reprise the music of the famed Mahavishnu Orchestra. In the early 70's, this five-piece unit, lead by guitarist John McLaughlin, blew minds and drew a cult following with their ground-breaking fusion of jazz, Indian ragas and high volume rock.

Hard Rubber will perform original arrangements by John Korsrud, Fred Stride, Bill Runge and others, with guests; drummer Randall Stoll, and Chris Gestrin on keyboards, along with the 18-piece orchestra. HRO last presented this popular tribute more than a decade ago, and is excited to once again give audiences a chance to see the Mahavishnu Orchestra re-visited and re-imagined by Vancouver's one and only Hard Rubber Orchestra. Special guests: The Fits (Veda Hille and Patsy Klein).

7:30 pm: Short music films
8:15 pm: The Fits
9 pm: Hard Rubber Orchestra
Schedule subject to change

“John Korsrud likes a good challenge. Last year, he and his Vancouver-based 18-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra performed two big-band concerts of songs by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the 1970 jazz-rock quintet that favoured odd time signatures and high-octane delivery. To these ears, that second concert was the best show at last year’s jazz festival.” (Marke Andrews, Vancouver Sun)

Saturday, May 31
Doors 6:30 pm | Event 7:30pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Main Floor (Assigned Seating) - Sliding Scale $20+ s/c | $25+ s/c | $30+ s/c ('Sliding Scale' pricing = Pay what you can while supporting local, Canadian artists)
Balcony (General Admission) -  $15+ s/c

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Formed by artistic director John Korsrud in 1990, the Hard Rubber Orchestra has consistently been one of Canada's most active and unpredictable ensembles of creative music, presenting concerts of original music by some of Canada's most exciting composers, performed by Vancouver's finest musicians. The orchestra has recorded five albums, toured across Canada and to Europe. In 2005, they were the recipients of the Alcan Arts Award, the largest arts award in Canada for the creation of new work. They have produced several large theatrical works such as operas, avant ice shows, and arts raves and commissioned nearly 100 new works by composers such as Kenny Wheeler, John Hollenbeck, Darcy James Argue, Christine Jensen, Peggy Lee, Marianne Trudel, and Brad Turner. @hardrubberorchestra

Rain Coast Choir is proud to present our Summer of Love Showcase at the Rio Theatre on Sunday, June 1. Join us as we pay tribute to the music and the spirit of the 60’s. Led by Joline Baylis and backed by a full band, we’ll sing original arrangements of songs by The Mamas and the Papas, The Band, Buffalo Springfield and more!

Featuring cameos by guest artists Leo D.E. Johnson and C.R. Avery.

Sunday, June 1
Doors 7:00 pm | Show 7:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Adults $30 + s/c
Kids 12 and under $20 +s/c

By purchasing a ticket to the Summer of Love Showcase, you are supporting our vibrant choir community and helping to provide a safe space for singers of all backgrounds to explore their love of music and singing.

To contact the organizers of this event, please email info@raincoastchoir.com

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Wednesday, June 4 for Matthieu Kassovitz' gritty and groundbreaking urban French drama LA HAINE (2020 restoration).

Mathieu Kassovitz took the film world by storm with his 1996 feature LA HAINE, a bold, unsettling, and visually explosive look at the racial and cultural volatility in modern-day France, specifically the low-income banlieue districts on Paris’s outskirts. Aimlessly passing their days in the concrete environs of their dead-end suburbia, Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Koundé), and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui)—a Jew, an African, and an Arab—give human faces to France’s immigrant populations, their bristling resentment at their marginalization slowly simmering until it reaches a climactic boiling point.

A work of tough beauty, LA HAINE is a landmark of contemporary French cinema, and a gripping reflection of its country’s ongoing identity crisis.

"LA HAINE is an unmissable response to an unending emergency." (Guardian)

"A layered conundrum that builds to a stunning crescendo, Mathieu Kassovitz's LA HAINE is an extremely intelligent take on an idiotic reality: the mutual mistrust, contempt and hatred between the police and France's disenfranchised young citizens." (Variety)

Wednesday, June 4
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Why not make it a VINCENT CASSEL Double Bill with David Cronenberg's THE SHROUDS, for one sweet price!
https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/35687-vincent-cassel-double-bill-la-haine-30th-anniversary-the-shrouds

LA HAINE "Hate" (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1996 / 98 mins / 18A / French with English subs) When a young Arab is arrested and beaten unconscious by police, a riot erupts in the notoriously violent suburbs outside of Paris. Three of the victim's peers - a Jew, an African, and an Arab - wander aimlessly about their home turf in the aftermath of the violence as they try to come to grips with their outrage over the brutal incident. After one of the men finds a police officer's discarded weapon, their night seems poised to take a bleak turn.

Mathieu Kassovitz took the film world by storm with his 1996 feature LA HAINE, a bold, unsettling, and visually explosive look at the racial and cultural volatility in modern-day France, specifically the low-income banlieue districts on Paris’s outskirts. Aimlessly passing their days in the concrete environs of their dead-end suburbia, Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Koundé), and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui)—a Jew, an African, and an Arab—give human faces to France’s immigrant populations, their bristling resentment at their marginalization slowly simmering until it reaches a climactic boiling point.

THE SHROUDS revolves around a technological entrepreneur, Karsh, who is still grieving the loss of his wife, Becca. When several graves, including Becca's, are desecrated, Karsh embarks on a quest to find the perpetrator, which leads him down a nightmarish path of paranoia and grief when he engineers a technology that allows loved ones to watch their deceased family members decompose in specially designed burial shrouds. With Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE, BLACK SWAN), Diane Kruger (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Guy Pearce (MEMENTO, THE BRUTALIST), and Sandrine Holt.

Wednesday, June 4
Doors 6:00 PM | Film 6:30 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Brief intermission.

Doors 8:45 PM | Film 9:00 PM *As this is part of a double bill, start time is approximate only. Please arrive early.

Single film tickets also available.

LA HAINE “Hate” (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1996 / 98 mins / 18A / French with English subs) When a young Arab is arrested and beaten unconscious by police, a riot erupts in the notoriously violent suburbs outside of Paris. Three of the victim’s peers – a Jew, an African, and an Arab – wander aimlessly about their home turf in the aftermath of the violence as they try to come to grips with their outrage over the brutal incident. After one of the men finds a police officer’s discarded weapon, their night seems poised to take a bleak turn.

THE SHROUDS (David Cronenberg, 2025 / 121 mins  18A) Karsh, a creative entrepreneur who lost his spouse, develops a machine designed to communicate with deceased individuals.

THE SHROUDS revolves around a technological entrepreneur, Karsh, who is still grieving the loss of his wife, Becca. When several graves, including Becca's, are desecrated, Karsh embarks on a quest to find the perpetrator, which leads him down a nightmarish path of paranoia and grief when he engineers a technology that allows loved ones to watch their deceased family members decompose in specially designed burial shrouds. With Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE, BLACK SWAN), Diane Kruger (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Guy Pearce (MEMENTO, THE BRUTALIST), and Sandrine Holt.

"'The Shrouds' is the saddest movie David Cronenberg has ever made. It’s steeped in grief; the loss of the filmmaker’s wife Carolyn in 2017 is the engine that drives every scene, and his decision to style and groom star Vincent Cassel as his own doppelgänger brings the point home all the more powerfully." (TIFF.net)

"Even when purporting to tell his own story, Cronenberg cannot help but leave us with something more expansively unsettling." (The New Yorker)

Wednesday, June 4
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Why not make it a Vincent Cassel Double Bill with the 30th Anniversary screening of Mathieu Kassovitz's, LA HAINE, for one sweet price here: https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/35687-vincent-cassel-double-bill-la-haine-30th-anniversary-the-shrouds

THE SHROUDS (David Cronenberg, 2025 / 121 mins  18A) Karsh, a creative entrepreneur who lost his spouse, develops a machine designed to communicate with deceased individuals.

In 1999, our pal Kevin Smith and some friends released DOGMA to the masses, which has become a grade-A cult classic over the years. The film has been stuck in limbo due to rights issues, but last year, those rights have now reverted back to Kevin Smith and his team. This film was only available through physical media from old DVD and Blu-ray releases in the 2000s (predating streaming rights). Now with the film available once again, Kevin Smith is happy to offer the special 25th anniversary 4K remastered re-release of DOGMA: Resurrected! A 25th Anniversary Celebration for the original audience to see on the big screen - and for a new generation of fans to experience it for the first time in movie theatres.

This release will offer special bonus content, featuring Q&A highlights of Smith and friends from appearances being filmed later this month. We would love for you to join this celebration of Kevin’s favorite film in his repertoire!

DOGMA is a satirical fantasy comedy that follows two fallen angels, Bartleby and Loki, who discover a loophole that would allow them to return to Heaven, which would inadvertently undo the creation of the universe. A woman named Bethany, who is struggling with her faith, is tasked with stopping them before their plan succeeds. Along the way, she is joined by various characters, including a muse, a seraphim, and a group of unlikely allies, all as they battle against the forces of heaven and hell. A genuine cult-classic, DOGMA combines dark humor, theological questions, and absurdity to explore topics of faith, redemption, and religious mythology.

"Deliriously funny!" (Hollywood Reporter)

"Dogma is a raucous, profane but surprisingly endearing piece of work, a funny and lively film of ideas." (Los Angeles Times)

Thursday, June 5
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets on sale April 23

DOGMA (Kevin Smith, 1999 / 135 mins / 18A) Two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise find themselves banned in Wisconsin. They are now headed for New Jersey where they find a loophole that can get them back into heaven. The only catch is that it will destroy humanity. A group bands together to stop them.

"Is she insane?"
"Well, she's not normal."

And who is these days?! So why not be amongst other like minded abnormalities when coming #FridayLateNight to the Rio Theatre on June 6, we present horror icon and master suspense filmmaker, Dario Argento's PHENOMENA (AKA Creepers).

Dario Argento changed the course of horror history with movies like DEEP RED and SUSPIRIA. But his greatest achievement was deciding to pit Jennifer Connelly (LABYRINTH), Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN), and a cute monkey against a horde of killer insects. With a little bit of CARRIE, a touch of Nancy Drew, and a whole lot of black-gloved giallo mayhem, PHENOMENA is Argento’s finest entry in the coked-out, anything-goes sweepstakes of 1980s horror. From the shocking violence to the songs by Iron Maiden, this movie was made to be watched by a theater full of appreciative maniacs.

"As troublesome as this sentiment may sound, SUSPIRIA and DEEP RED might be Argento’s most important movies, but their formidable powers dim substantially when stacked up against to the berserk and rapturous mutant anomaly that is PHENOMENA." (Alexander On Film)

"Even folks who don't generally like movies that can broadly be categorized as "gore" or "slasher" flicks should be able to get a kick out of the works of Dario Argento, and Phenomena represents as good a starting point as any." (Film Frenzy)

Friday, June 6
Doors 10:30 pm | Film 11:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

#FridayLateNight is date night! Bring your favorite judgmental nurse,  boarding school bully or swarm of drones and get 2-for-1 tickets!

PHENOMENA aka Creepers (Dario Argento | 1985 | 110 mins | R) A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.

RSVP to the Nest Client Appreciation Day.
Eligible attendees will have received an invitation along with the required promo code to access tickets.

RAFFLE DRAW
DOOR PRIZES
PRIVATE FILM SCREENING OF A CLASSIC FAMILY FLICK
FREE SMALL POP & POPCORN
PHOTOBOOTH

Saturday, June 7
Doors 11:00 am | Film 11:45 am *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

All tickets proceeds will be donated to Covenant House Vancouver.

The Fairy Creek (Ada’itsx) valley sprawls across Pacheedaht First Nation territory on southwestern Vancouver Island and its old growth forest ecosystem thrives with lush foliage, ancient tree trunks, and a variety of wildlife. However, the decimating chainsaws and tractor machinery of the Teal Jones lumber corporation disrupt this equilibrium as they demolish an environmental haven into pavement for their road-building project. Amidst the tumult, Jen Muranetz’s FAIRY CREEK captures the vast collective protests against this destructive logging operation: a movement which has spawned both the largest demonstration of civil disobedience in Canadian history and the mass arrests of 1200 people.

The film offers visceral front-line footage of activists faced with an RCMP-enforced injunction, protesting from ground to sky as blockaders form barriers with their bodies and tree-sitters’ forest canopies are assailed by officers deployed from helicopters. FAIRY CREEK is an urgent portrait of resistance, documenting an assembly of protestors organizing together despite varying backgrounds, ideologies, and tactics. Director Muranetz highlights the rapture of a united eco-activist community, coinhabiting the earth, dancing together, and cherishing biodiversity. At the same time, this breathtaking documentary tremors with the challenges of political consciousness in an age of rampant extractive capitalism, where industries working with governments eviscerate everything in their path, including the last pristine ecosystems. FAIRY CREEK depicts a historic struggle to defend Canadian old growth forests as an experience of absolute devotion, thrust between whiplashes of triumph and heartbreak.

Director Jen Muranetz and producer / DP Sepehr Samimi will be in attendance for post-show Q&A.

Saturday, June 7
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

FAIRY CREEK (Jen Muranetz, 2024 / 78 mins / NR) In a last-ditch attempt to stop old growth logging, some impassioned forest defenders put up more than 12 blockades across the pristine Fairy Creek valley in Vancouver Island. History repeats in a deja-vu of the iconic Clayoquot Sound blockades in the 90s, this time with higher stakes amidst a climate emergency. A deep dive into the complex encounters of the settler activists, local First Nation members, loggers, and RCMP officers, this character-driven feature documentary chronicles the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.

Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called "life"

Electric word, life
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
But I'm here to tell you
There's something else
The afterworld...

Join us at the Rio Theatre on Saturday, June 7 for a very special screening of The Purple One's cinematic and musical triumph, PURPLE RAIN, on what would have been his 57th birthday. Gorgeously remastered and restored for its 40th Anniversary in 2024, this is the singular, indelible rock musical for which Prince took home both Oscar and Grammy gold.

We're turning the volume up for this one, children. (Get ready to go crazy with the beautiful ones in the Rio Theatre audience - 80's-inspired attire is very welcome, and oh-so-very encouraged. You best be wearing purple, people!)

Based loosely on his own life story, Prince's film debut in PURPLE RAIN cast him as "The Kid," the talented but troubled musician in Minneapolis struggling to make it big with his band, The Revolution. The film was a box office hit, and possessed a fantastic soundtrack (including Oscar-winner 'When Doves Cry') that forever altered the course of his career. Many fans and critics consider the music of PURPLE RAIN signature work, spawning numerous hit singles that would dominate airwaves for years to come.

"'Purple Rain' became a generational manifesto, while providing the largest megaphone yet for one of the greatest geniuses in pop music." (NPR)

Saturday, June 7
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

PURPLE RAIN (Albert Magnoli, 1984 / 111 mins / 18A) | A talented young musician in Minneapolis, tormented by an abusive, bold father and a mother who is never satisfied, must contend with a rival singer, a darling romance, and his own dissatisfied bandmates - while his own star (and baby, he is one) begins to rise.

FRIDAY THE 13th on... Friday, the 13th....? (So meta!)

The Rio Theatre's Friday Late Night Movie series continues on June 13 with a 40th Anniversary screening of the fifth installment of the legendary franchise, A NEW BEGINNING. In this installment, homicidal maniac Jason returns from the grave to cause more bloody mayhem. Young Tommy may have escaped from Crystal Lake, but he’s still haunted by the gruesome events that happened there. When gory murders start happening at the secluded halfway house for troubled teens where he now lives, it seems like his nightmarish nemesis, Jason, is back for more sadistic slaughters. But as things spiral out of control and the body count rises, Tommy begins to wonder if he’s become the killer he fears most.

"The spiciest entry in the series, it boasts the most T&A, an incredible double homicide, a witty reference to A Place in the Sun, and yokels chopping chickens." (Slant Magazine)

Friday, June 13
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Night! Bring a friend, date, or your old bunkmate from summer camp and get 2-for-1 entry!

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING (Danny Steinmann, 1985 / 92 mins / 18A) Still haunted by his past, Tommy Jarvis - who, as a child, killed Jason Voorhees - wonders if the serial killer is connected to a series of brutal murders occurring in and around the secluded halfway house where he now lives.

Join Gracenote and Kôr in celebrating 10 years of choral excellence and community building magic. From early days rehearsing in an East Van living room, this vibrant vocal family has grown into a powerhouse of over 70 voices.

WAVE is a joyful retrospective—featuring beloved hits, hidden gems, and genre-spanning favorites that traverse languages, cultures, and eras. Expect laughter, tears, goosebumps, unexpected cameos, stacked chords, and soaring harmonies.

Join us post-performance for a celebratory after-party!

Saturday, June 14
Doors 6:15 pm | Show 7:00 pm | After Party 9:30 pm
Tickets $31+ s/c

Learn more about Gracenote and Kôr at gracenotevancouver.com

Writer-director Wes Anderson's unique, signature narrative and visual style are front and center in his offbeat 2001 comedy, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, an extraordinary story of one family's sudden, unexpected reunion.

Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children--Chas, Richie, and Margot--they were a family of geniuses and then they separated. Chas started buying real estate in his early teens and seemed to have had a preternatural understanding of international finance. Margot was a playwright and received a Braverman grant of fifty thousand dollars in the ninth grade. Richie was a junior champion tennis player and won the U.S. Nationals three years in a row. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. The tale follows the family's sudden and unexpected reunion one recent winter. Starring the late, great Gene Hackman(in one of his final performances), Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, and Alec Baldwin.

"With Wes Anderson's images, seductive as they are, we can ultimately only guess -- what Margot's plays are about, or who Etheline's suitors are... And that makes Anderson's film an exhilarating experience, a real jungle gym for the imagination." (Sight & Sound)

"Each character, as ever, is tucked into a shell of his or her obsessions, and yet the filming itself -- the grace of Anderson's draftsmanship, as it were -- binds the figures together into a team." (The New Yorker)

"A comedy of unrequited love, melancholy and disappointment. One to savour." (Time Out)

Sunday, June 15
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson, 2001 / 110 mins / 14A) Three siblings, gifted in their own way, have experienced success but are distant from each other. Their family has to reunite when their estranged father announces he is dying.

"Father of a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I shall have my vengeance in this life or the next!"

Iconic director Ridley Scott's sweeping historical action epic GLADIATOR is as enthralling now as it was upon its release in 2000. Winner of five Oscars (including Best Picture), including one for Australian actor Russell Crowe thanks to his stark yet moving portrayal of Maximus, a once-powerful Roman general stripped of his rank and forced to become a common gladiator at the behest of a corrupt and jealous Emperor.

When the stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius' scheming son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix, in an Oscar-nominated performance) learns that he is to be passed over as heir in favour of his father's favourite General Maximus (Crowe), he becomes enraged and vindictive. His petulant jealousy sees him arranging the murders of both his father and Maximus' entire family in order to seize control of the empire. The devastated general is subsequently sold into slavery to be trained as a gladiator - but his unexpected popularity in the arena threatens the throne. With Richard Harris, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, and Derek Jacobi.

"As a sword and sandal epic, it still holds the exciting pulse to this day with Russell Crowe's magnificent performance and its emotional story about the Roman gladiator who fights as a liberator against a corrupt emperor." (Cinefilia)

"Russell Crowe solidly anchors this epic-scale gladiator movie - the first in nearly four decades - by using his burly frame and expressive face to give dimension to what might otherwise have been comic book heroics." (The Hollywood Reporter)

Sunday, June 15
Doors 8:00 pm | Movie 8:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott, 2000 / 155 mins / 18A) A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.

Iron Dog Books and Black Bond Books/Book Warehouse proudly present An Evening With V.E. Schwab at the Rio Theatre, in celebration of "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." The evening promises a lively discussion, hosted by local author and podcaster Hannah McGregor, and an in-depth question period.

Ticket price includes a signed and specially embossed copy of "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." Additionally, autographed copies of V.E. Schwab's previous books will be available for purchase, while quantities last.

VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant, and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Translated into over two dozen languages and optioned for television and film, V.E. Schwab’s work is widely loved and critically acclaimed.

Monday, June 16 - Over 75% sold!
Doors 6:00 pm | Event 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Ticket price includes one signed copy of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, admission to event, and all taxes and fees.

Ticket purchasers will be contacted ahead of the event for the opportunity to submit questions.

Reel Green™ presents
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING

The first 100 people to arrive will receive a free medium popcorn.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING (Avi Lewis, 2015 / 89 mins / PG) A look at seven communities around the world with the proposition that we can seize the crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.

CJ The X: You're Not God, I Am!
The Case Study of the Century

Our taboo desire for social status, the anthropomorphization of God, and the most pivotal rap beef of our generation.

CJ The X is an independent interdisciplinary artist and an autodidactic philosopher. They have been making music since 2015, releasing videos since 2021, writing essays since 2023, and performing lectures since 2024. Their philosophy focuses on religion, art, technology, community, relationship and love.

CJ The X’s work is crowdfunded through Patreon, where they host a book club, powerpoint parties, and Q&As.

Friday, June 20
Doors: 7:00 pm | Event 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

For first access to tickets subscribe to their mailing list @ cjthex.com/subscribe
cjthex.com
youtube.com/cjthex
patreon.com/cjthex

The Vancouver Burlesque Co. welcomes you to the finale show of their Spring 2025 Season. Join us as we celebrate our student's accomplishments, onstage in a sizzling season wrap-up! Prepare yourself for amazing large group acts, and some stunning soloists. These shows are pure magic, sparkle and fun, and we can't wait to share the evening with friends, family and fans.

Featuring group performances by the classes of instructors Androsia Wilde, Ariel Helvetica, Cherry OnTop, Gigi Lavande and La Dame Derriere. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of our soloists and guests!

Hosted by Miss Kiss

Thursday, June 26
7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

General Admission $30+ s/c | $35+ s/c at the door

Please note: These shows tend to sell out well in advance - buy tickets sooner than later to avoid disappointment!

For Pride this year the Rio Theatre is rolling out the rainbow carpet to welcome back Vancouver Pride & the return of Dandy's BIG GAY CABARET 2025! And whom better to be our honorable ambassador to the world and fellow Gaynadians than our very own Gayest of the Gays, Queerest of the Queers, Dandy!

Celebrate Vancouver at the most anticipated cabaret of the year! Runner up in Georgia Straight's BEST OF VANCOUVER 2023 and host of the year 2024, DANDY (tiktok star @dandyandfriends) curates a cabinet of charismatic, Queer, cabaret creators. Live singing, dance, death defying circus feats, drag, burlesque and some fun surprises. You might not be gay when you sit down, but research shows that attending this show will make you 69% gayer!. HUZZAH!

If you don't come to this show, you are homophobic! So get your tickets now, Darling.

Friday, August 1
Doors 7:15 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets available until July 1, SAVE $5 off each ticket!

Main Floor Assigned $30 + s/c | $35 at the door
VIP - First 4 rows $40 + s/c **VIP ticket holders also get an interactive prop bag to be used during the show!**
The 'We Are Family' 4 Pack $25 a ticket + s/c (Available online only)

But wait, there's more!

The Rio Theatre lobby and bar will be open between shows and serving up Pride inspired cocktails, mocktails and your favorite gay anthems. Don't forget to pick up a Rio Theatre Pride Edition T-shirt, check out the merch booth and pose, vogue, pose at our pride photo backdrop. Don't forget to tag us in your pics @riotheatre & @dandyandfriends

Featuring:

Ruth Ordare
Queen Kong
Melrose Twist
Jordy Matheson
and
Deviant Dancing Dandies

---

About your Host:

Dandy (he/him) is the award-winning host made popular on TikTok for his viral videos promoting queer joy! Winner of Host of the Year 2024 for Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and awarded runner up in the Georgia Straight’s BEST OF VANCOUVER for his show Drag Attack! – you can catch him regularly on stage in his shows at the iconic Rio Theatre in Vancouver, or touring regularly this year between LA and New York City. His all new series Dandyland, which highlights businesses, organizations, and artists in the lower-mainland’s LGBT Community, premiered this Summer on Optik TV and was nominated by the Costume Designers Guild Awards for Excellence in Short Form Design 2024 thanks to already award winning, multi-talented Costume Designer, Rafaella Rabinovich

@dandyandfriends

Guess who's back to keep Vancouver laughing... The East Van Laugh RioT is pleased to welcome the summertime return of comedian Sammy Obeid - with all-new material! We just can't keep him off our stage!

Sunday, August 10
Doors 4:00 pm | Show 5:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets available until May 12, midnight.

Adult Balcony (General Admission) $39 + s/c
Adult Main Floor (Assigned Seating) $48+ s/c
VIP Meet n' Greet (Rows 2-6, centre section) $65+ s/c
VVIP Meet n' Greet (Front Row, centre section) $75+ s/c
Group Ticket Pricing (Minimum 4) $43 (ea)+ s/c (online only)

---

Lebanese-Palestinian American and born in Oakland California, Sammy Obeid double-majored in Business and Mathematics at UC Berkeley and then turned down a job at Google to be a comedian.

Now the host of 100 Humans on Netflix, he’s also appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent, as well as TBS’s Conan, and is best known for his world record of performing comedy 1,001 nights in a row, a story featured in both Time Magazine and The New York Times.

Connect on Instagram @sammyobeid
Connect on Facebook
Connect on TikTok @sammyobeidthem
Connect on X @sammyobeid

KEVIN NEALON
Presented by Gotpop? Concerts

The Rio Theatre is pleased to welcome Kevin Nealon to the stage for a night of standup comedy on Sunday, March 24.

Sunday, August 24
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Main Floor (Assigned) $85+ s/c
Balcony (General Admission) $75+ s/c

Kevin Nealon is an Emmy and SAG-nominated actor and comedian who sets himself apart from other comedic performers with his unique sense of humor, dry wit and likable demeanor. Nealon is best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and received critical acclaim for his role in the hit Showtime series Weeds. Kevin currently produces and hosts his digital series Hiking with Kevin, and tours his stand-up globally. In 2022 he released his, I Exaggerate: My Brushes with Fame. Part art book, part memoir -- the book is full of original full-color caricatures Kevin has created along with funny, endearing personal essays about his famous friends.

Nealon’s extensive television credits include the CBS sitcom, Man With a Plan, in which he starred alongside Matt LeBlanc; Showtime’s Weeds, which ran for eight seasons. Additional television roles include two critically acclaimed stand-up
specials for Showtime and a number of appearances on Hot In Cleveland, Franklin & Bash, Monk, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Still Standing.

Kevin has also has found great comedic success in his extensive film career. In Anger Management, he played opposite Jack Nicholson and fellow SNL comedian, Adam Sandler. He and Sandler also teamed up in Eight Crazy Nights, The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore, Just Go With It, Blended, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, the latter of which grossed over $200 million worldwide. In Joe Dirt, Nealon joined another SNL alumnus David Spade. Additional film credits include Daddy Day Care with Eddie Murphy, Good Boy with Molly Shannon, Bucky Larsen: Born to be a Star with Nick Swardson, Roxanne with Steve Martin and the cult hit Grandma’s Boy, also with Nick Swardson and Jonah Hill.

As one of the longest running cast members on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (1986-1995), Nealon created some of the show’s most memorable characters, including ‘The Subliminal Man’ and ‘Hans and Franz.’ Nealon’s recurring role as an anchor on ‘Weekend Update’ helped make the sketch a show staple. In 1988, he earned an Emmy nomination as part of the SNL writing team. In 2008, Nealon released his first book, Yes, You’re Pregnant, But What About Me? - a comical look at the male perspective of pregnancy.

Currently, Kevin resides in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Ashwyn Singh comes to the Rio Theatre's stage with his latest show on Thursday, September 18.

Thursday, September 18
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 6:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

VVIP (Front Row) $45 + s/c
VIP (Rows B-F) $35+ s/c
Main Floor $30+ s/c
Group Pass (4 Tickets) $108+ s/c

Ashwyn Singh is a standup comedian, musician, and writer whose work blends incisive humor with heartfelt social commentary. An Indian immigrant turned Canadian resident, Ashwyn draws on his unique perspective to explore themes of cultural identity, immigration, and family with wit and relatability.

His viral Desi Translations series, which has over 40 million views, celebrates the artistry of Hindi and Urdu lyrics by reinterpreting everyday English phrases. Beyond social media, Ashwyn’s standup comedy tackles social issues like immigration, religion, politics, mental health, and global conflicts, highlighting the hypocrisy in human behavior with sharp humor.

Featured on Canada’s Got Talent, CBC’s The Debaters, and major comedy festivals like Winnipeg and Halifax, Ashwyn has opened for acclaimed acts such as Mark Normand, Sammy Obeid, and Zarna Garg, establishing himself as a standout talent in comedy.

LADIES OF VANCOUVER ARE YOU READY?!

The Magic Men Australia "LARGER THAN LIFE" WORLD TOUR is hitting town, and this is your chance to witness the ultimate, high-energy, jaw-dropping, pulse-racing male revue show LIVE!

Featuring TIKTOK SENSATION WILL PARFITT! With millions of fans worldwide, this Channing Tatum lookalike is ready to bring the heat, charm, and signature moves that have made him a global sensation! Expect an all-star lineup of chiseled hunks, heart-racing performances, and electrifying stage presence that will leave you breathless and begging for more!

Round up your squad for the ULTIMATE Girls’ Night Out! Get ready for a night packed with jaw-dropping entertainment, cheeky surprises, and non-stop fun. TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST – DON’T MISS OUT! Secure yours NOW and experience the Magic Men Australia WORLD TOUR LIVE!

Saturday, September 27
Doors 7:00 PM | Event 8:00 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Ticket levels

Premium - Main Floor (first 5 rows): $85 + s/c
•   Exclusive Early Entry: Doors open 30 minutes earlier than regular door opening time.
•   Prime Seating: Seated closest to the action for the best viewing experience.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: Approximately 40 audience members will have the chance to get on stage.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Early access to the meet-and-greet team for photo opportunities.
•   Early Merchandise Sales: Priority access to merchandise sales before general entry, ensuring a quicker, smoother experience.

Deluxe - Main Floor: $65 + s/c
•   Second-Tier Seating: The second closest seating category to the stage, offering a great view of the show.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Enjoy the opportunity to meet the team and take photos.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: A  smaller chance to be invited on stage during the show over Premium.

General Admission - Balcony: $40 + s/c
•   Non-Reserved Seating
Entry to the show.
Full stage performance experience.

This Rio Theatre gift certificate is good for entry to any single regular screening and includes one medium popcorn, one medium fountain beverage, and one small candy. If you prefer a physical card, this gift certificate is also available for purchase from our conession stand during open business hours.