Save the Rio Telethon at the Rio Theatre

Are there finer examples of the creative genius the Rio Theater has fostered in Vancouver than Eric Fell and Patrick Mahlia? It’s a question asked only by those that don’t know any better. The answer is simple: No. No, there is no finer example. These two are excellent and why are you in my house?

Like most of the Vancouver Creative Community, Eric and Patrick are far too humble to tell you how great they are, but then they go and do things like this: organize a thirty-hour benefit show where all proceeds go to helping to save the Rio Theater.

Those who possess the fortitude to mirror their intent will be treated to thirty hours of non-stop comedy by way the Gentlemen Hecklers, stand-up, improv, burlesque, bands, and more. Eric and Patrick have put together a little bit of everything that makes the Vancouver scene what it is, curating some of the best acts Vancouver has to offer in order to save the place that helped make them the giants that they are.

Anyone looking to get in on the festivities can buy tickets by clicking here. The doors open on this madcap adventure at 5pm on April 1st, 2018, with the show starting at 6pm and going straight through til midnight on April 3rd. Again, clicking here and buying your tickets in advance will run you $30, or you can show up at the door and buy one for $35. Tickets get you full in-and-out privileges for the whole of the thirty-hour event.

Like most everything the Rio, this event is 19+. Click here to learn more. 

And why are we doing this?

It’s because the Rio is in danger and we are the Rio’s only hope.

There are some people that would like to demolish the Rio and replace it with Condos that no one can afford to live in, as Vancouver continues to struggle against a future where no one actually lives in the city anymore. Here is our hard line: the Rio Theater is, in many ways, a bridge between the future and the past of this city. It is everything good and great about Vancouver, representing the best aspects of the thriving creative community that would not exist without it.

And the Rio makes money. It is a solvent business, a place where people find their voices, their careers, their futures. It is a place of community and growth, and in many ways, it is the heart and soul of the Vancouver creative scene. They partner with other businesses and everyone is better for the Rio being here.

Some people that do not live in the city would like to demolish it to build a highrise that no one in that part of the city will be able to live in. They want to do to Commerical Drive what they did to Coal Harbour, turning a thriving neighborhood into a ghost town where no one lives, no one goes, an empty urban sprawl of nothing.

We need to fight back.

The people that own the land the Rio is built on have given us the means to do so, and we will fight tooth and nail to keep our home standing. We’re not alone in this – Kevin Smith, Ryan Reynolds, anyone and everyone that has lived in Vancouver understands the importance of the Rio. Kevin Smith is hosting two sold-out shows at the Rio where he plans to talk about how important this theater is.

Watch this and understand:

Can you help? #savetherio has an Indiegogo up now, which you can find by clicking here.

Help us help keep Vancouver vibrant, alive, and creative. Save the Rio. We can do this.