YALETOWN
You know it’s a thriller, thriller afternoon Oct. 26 beginning at 4 p.m. outside the Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) as Vancouver Improv Anywhere hosts its annual zombie dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Hundreds of costumed dancers are expected to turn out to recreate the dance moves from the classic 1983 music video as part of a fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Spectators and participants are asked to bring non-perishable food or cash donations. Prizes include double-passes to Fright Night and the new Fly Over Canada flight simulator at Canada Place, improv shows at the Rio Theatre, and a prize pack from the Storm Crow Tavern. Make-up artists will be on-hand beginning at noon for last-minute participants, and a impromptu rehearsal will be held Friday night at the Roundhouse beginning at 7 p.m. Check out improvanywhere.ca to find out more.
CHINATOWN
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden will be haunted by Seven Tyrants Theatre beginning Oct. 24 as the troupe performs stories about the intrepid Judge Dee, a semi-fictional sleuth based on 18th century magistrate Di Renjie — who has become a bit like China’s version of Sherlock Holmes. Billing itself as Vancouver’s only haunted house not suitable for children, Judge Dee’s Chinatown Haunted House features more than 12 actors, dancers and musicians telling a typically terrifying tale. Entry is every 10 minutes starting at 7 until 10 p.m. Tickets are 12 bones and $10 for students, available at the door, over the phone at 604-662-3207 or online from ticketstonight.ca. More information available at seventyrants.com.
UNIVERSITY OF B.C.
There will be blood discussed at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts Oct. 23 when Blood: The Stuff of Life author Lawrence Hill gives a presentation as part of the CBC Massey Lecture series. Hill, best known for his bestseller The Book of Negroes, will discuss the scientific history of the nutrient-rich red liquid that keeps us all going and, in the same vein, explore the many different social impacts the substance famously thicker than water has had on human history, ranging from ideas on blood purity regarding race and religious ramifications to the popularity of the Twilight franchise and the always topical question of violence in hockey. Tickets are $32, available in advance at ticketmaster.ca. It runs 8 p.m. at 6265 Crescent Rd. The lecture will air on CBC Radio’s Ideas in early November.
DOWNTOWN
Vancouver Airport Authority president and CEO Craig Richmond touches down at the Four Seasons Hotel Oct. 23 to talk about how much Vancouver International Airport matters to the province and, presumably, why it is a bad idea for people to fly out of nearby Bellingham or Seattle at a fraction of the cost. Find out more about Canada’s second busiest airport, which last year saw nearly 300,000 planes land and handled 228,000 tonnes of cargo at this two-hour Vancouver Board of Trade event titled YVR: Connections, scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. inside the Park Ballroom at 791 W. Georgia. Ticket prices start at $79 or $158 for non-members. More info is available at boardoftrade.com.
DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
The Hastings Street Band will lead a procession of art enthusiasts from Oppenheimer Park tomorrow (Oct. 24) to nearby Gastown as part of the sixth annual Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show starting at 5 p.m. Park-a-Palooza debuts at Gallery Gachet (88 East Cordova St.) and showcases the work of 35 different artists from the surrounding community, including the special exhibit Birds That Play of birds painted through a series of art workshops curated by Carrie Campbell. The exhibition runs until Dec. 1. For more information, call 604-253-8830 or email [email protected].
