Upcoming At The Rio and Park Theatre
THE SUNSET SIDESHOW
Rio Theatre
STEP RIGHT UP STEP RIGHT UP and join us at Rio Theatre on Tuesday, May 5, for a night of drag that will blow you away!
Vajayjay Abrams hosts an iconic lineup of Canada’s Drag Race stars from across the country including Vancouver’s very own PM, Toronto’s Star Doll and Dulce, and Montreal ICONS Johnny Jones and Sami Landri! The sideshow unleashes a lineup of jaw-dropping talent you won’t see anywhere else so don’t miss out! See the cast perform their hit original song Not Sorry Aboot it LIVE for the first time together!
Tuesday, May 5 Doors 7:00 pm | Show 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
VIP (Exclusive Pre-Show Meet and Greet 6:30 pm + Preferred Seating) $50 + s/c
Main Floor Seating $30 + s/c
Balcony $25 + s/c
Meet and Greet Add-On $15 (Limited Quantity Available)
Tickets HERE
BILLY PRESTON: THAT'S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT
Park Theatre
Billy Preston was 5 years old when he backed gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Over the following six-decade career, Billy contributed his signature sound to the greatest artists of his time, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Rufus, Eric Clapton, and others, while establishing himself as a GRAMMY-winning solo artist. Despite his success, Billy struggled to reconcile his deep relationship with the Black church with his sexuality, setting off a lifelong quest to find love and acceptance.
“As tough a life as Preston had, the music that buoys this chronicle is a constant source of joy.” (New York Times)
“Why didn’t Billy Preston become a bigger star? Who was he, exactly, as an artist? I went into the documentary fuzzy about all those things and came out feeling like I finally knew him.” (Variety)
Thursday, May 7 Doors 5:45 pm | Film 6:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST
Park Theatre
Way before AVATAR, there was FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST, a Don Bluth-esque animated musical rainforest romp starring the voices of Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Tim Curry, Robin Williams, Cheech & Chong, Harry Shearer, Tone-Loc, Pamela Adlon and even David Lynch fave Grace Zabriskie!! This is definitely one of the most Nineties movies of all time, featuring cassette players, mullets and enough queer-coding for a dozen BIRDCAGEs.
Crysta is a fairy who lives in FernGully, a rainforest in Australia, and has never seen a human before. In fact, she is told they are extinct. But when a logging company comes near the rainforest, she sees that they do exist, and even accidentally shrinks one of them: a boy named Zak. Now her size, Zak sees the damage that the company does and helps Crysta to stop not only them, but an evil entity named Hexxus, who feeds off pollution.
“Climate change is real and it sounds like Tim Curry.” (Siena, Letterboxd)
“The visuals are very pleasing. The story tells a useful lesson, the jungle inhabitants are amusing, and although the movie is not a masterpiece it’s pleasant to watch for its humor and sweetness.” (Roger Ebert)
Saturday, May 9 Doors 10:30 am | Movie 11:00 am *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
Kids (12 and under) just $10!
MAMMA MIA!
Park Theatre
Join us at the Park Theatre on Sunday, May 10 (Mother’s Day!) and get ready to dance, jive, and have the time of your life with a very special screening of singalong favourite, MAMMA MIA!
Based on the 1999 smash-hit “jukebox musical” MAMMA MIA!, the film’s A-list cast is practically second-fiddle to the film’s real star: Abba’s greatest hits. The story follows independent, single mother Donna (Meryl Streep), who owns a small hotel on a Greek island and is about to marry off the spirited young daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who she has raised alone. Unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie has secretly invited three of her mother’s ex-lovers in the hopes of finding her biological father. Hilarity ensues! Songs featured in the film include ABBA hits like “Super Trouper”, “Lay All Your Love on Me”, “Dancing Queen”, “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, “Take a Chance on Me”, “Thank You for the Music”, “Money, Money, Money”, “The Winner Takes It All”, “Voulez-Vous”, “SOS” and the film’s title track. Also starring Stellan Skarsgård, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper.
“It’s impossible not to go along with the feeling when such a strangely life-affirming song as Dancing Queen is blasted in your ears.” (Washington Times)
“The movie’s spirit is somewhere between High School Musical and Hedwig and the Angry Inch; it’s at once dorkily wholesome and proudly slutty.” (Slate)
Sunday, May 10 Doors 3:30 pm | Movie 4:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
Why not make it an “All About My Mother’s Day” marathon pass and see MILDRED PIERCE, MAMMA MIA!, and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
for one sweet price HERE
SHINJUKU BOYS
Rio Theatre
This remarkable documentary offers rich insight into gender and sexuality in Japan via a candid portrait of Kazuki, Tatsu, and Gaish, three trans masc hosts working at the New Marilyn Club in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district. As the film follows them at home and on the job, all three talk frankly about their lives, revealing their views on love, sex, and identity. Alternating with these illuminating interviews are fabulous sequences shot inside the club, a place patronized largely by heterosexual women.
Thursday, May 14. Doors 8:45 pm | Movie 9:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
THE RIO THEATRE BURLESQUE & VARIETY SHOW
Rio Theatre
A copious cavalcade of top notch talent and captivating cabaret await at The Rio Theatre Burlesque & Variety Show on Saturday, May 23!
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 & Variety Show!? Find out on Saturday, May 23 as these stars align for one night only!
Saturday, May 23. Doors 8:00 pm | Show 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Early Bird tickets just $20 + s/c. Available till May 8, midnight.
General Admission $30 + s/c | $35 + s/c at the door
VIP tickets $40+ s/c
Squad Pass (Group of Four Tickets – online only) $100+ s/c
Tickets HERE
CAFTCAD PRESENTS: THE ART OF COSTUME DESIGN
Rio Theatre
Join us for a special afternoon celebrating the artistry, storytelling, and craft behind costume design for film and television. This in-depth panel and Q&A bringing together three internationally acclaimed, award-winning designers whose work has shaped some of today’s most iconic characters and cinematic worlds.
Whether you’re an industry professional, student, or simply passionate about film, art, fashion, and storytelling, this is a rare opportunity to hear directly from some of the most celebrated costume designers working today.
Join us to talk to the people behind the characters you love. Including 2026 Emmy® award winner costume designer Rafaella Rabinovich who was recently featured in a www.whatsonqueerbc.com interview regarding her big win. Read the full article HERE
Learn more about CAFTCAD – The Canadian Alliance of Film and Television Costume Arts and Design at www.caftcad.com
Proudly Sponsored by IATSE 891
Sunday, May 24. Doors 1:30 pm | Event 2:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
HOOKERS ON DAVIE
Rio Theatre
Vancouver Sex Work Community Alliance presents:
Join us on June 2, International Sex Workers Day, for a special screening of HOOKERS ON DAVIE at the Rio Theatre at 7:30 PM. This landmark documentary explores the history, resilience, and activism of Vancouver’s sex work community, an important part of our city’s story.
All proceeds from the event will support Living in Community and PACE Society, helping advance the safety, rights, and well-being of sex workers. Join us to learn, reflect, and stand in solidarity.
"Before they were purged from the area in advance of Expo 86, sex workers strolled Davie Street in droves, turning Vancouver’s West End into “the prostitution capital of Canada.” Collectively organized, and working without pimps, they would meet regularly to discuss safety and self-defence, distribute “bad trick” sheets, and debate health controls and procedures. Based on eight months of advance research by the filmmakers, and another two months spent gaining the trust of their subjects, this Genie Award-winning documentary is less lurid exposé than activist ethnography. Tender and frank, compassionate and confrontational, Hookers on Davie is not just a major contribution to the direct cinema tradition in Canada; it also emerges, in retrospect, as a poignant portrait of a vibrant community that would soon be decimated by drugs, police harassment, and serial sexual violence when forcibly relocated to the Downtown Eastside." The Cinematheque
“A fabulous, funny, and moving archive of our queer history … Remarkable … It captures Davie Street during one of its rawest and most revolutionary periods.” Xtra Magazine
“A vital time capsule, capturing a pre-internet period when sex workers walked the street … The film’s many revelations are matched by the inescapable sense that Cole and Dale cared deeply about the people whose lives they were reflecting.” POV Magazine
Tuesday, June 2. Doors 7:00 pm | Film 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
CJ THE X: OPTIMIZED GRASS TOUCHING
Rio Theatre
How to lock in, optimize your grindset and work harder than anyone else at living a wholesome balanced meaningful life.
CJ The X a Toronto based independent artist and philosopher that began making YouTube videos in 2021. Since then they’ve amassed over 350 thousand subscribers, 15 million views, a robust crowdfunding base on Patreon, a loyal personal mailing list, and sold out lectures across the world. Their breathless interdisciplinary approach makes them one of the most unique cultural voices in the internet age, blending irreverent humour, sharp intellectualism, and earnest spirituality.
They speak passionately on an eclectic array of subjects, blending together art, religion, technology, community, and beauty in their singular style. They have developed 7 different lectures so far, each completely distinct from the rest while fitting into a cohesive whole.
When not philosophizing, CJ is a rapper and a writer, always most comfortable working on multiple things at once.
Saturday, June 27. Doors 6:30 pm | Lecture 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH: 25TH ANNIVERSARY MOVIE TOUR W. JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL
Rio Theatre
Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the critically acclaimed, award-winning rock movie musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” with an unforgettable evening featuring writer, director, and Golden Globe–nominated star, John Cameron Mitchell.
The event includes a stunning 4K screening of the film, followed by a live Q&A, and a special mini acoustic performance by Mitchell.
Arrive early for the pre-show costume contest—held in every city—for a chance to win prizes from our sponsors, The Criterion Collection and The Punk Rock Museum. Come dressed as your best Hedwig or in a look inspired by the work of John Cameron Mitchell.
Produced by ThisMyShow Presents
Monday, July 20 Doors: 6:30 pm | Event: 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Balcony Tickets (GA) $58.25+ s/c
Main Floor (Assigned) $68.75+ s/c
VIP (First four rows, centre section & Meet n’ Greet – includes signed poster!) $158+ s/c
Post show meet and greet w/ signed poster add-ons available!
Tickets HERE