Melody Mangler is a burlesque and cabaret performer based in Vancouver, BC. We talk about her love of horror, gore, weird movies and Church's Chicken. Melody talks about some of her acts (including Ode to Church's Chicken), how she gets the ideas for them, the process and how long it takes to take them from conception to stage. We also find out how it doesn't get boring for her doing this since 2003, always creating something new. Melody mentions all her upcoming shows, including Theatre of the Damned where she'll be doing a Midsommar burlesque act and you could be a part of it if you go!

Theatre of the Damned October 16th to 20th - tickets & info thebeaumontstudios.com

Follow Melody on instagram @melodymangler

Alison Reid began her career in the film industry as a stunt performer and was one of the first female stunt coordinators in North America. She has been directing tv shows and movies for over a decade and her latest work, The Art of Adventure will be premiering at VIFF. We talk about her experience going from stunts to behind the camera and how stunt coordinating and directing actually have a lot in common. Alison talks about how she had the idea to make The Art of Adventure as well as the four years it's taken to bring it from conception to the red carpet. We get into how it seems like people are losing their adventurous spirits and how she hopes this movie can push people to explore more.

Watch The Art of Adventure at VIFF on October 7th and 12th.

Intro: Hazy by OddFish

Mayumi Yoshida is a writer, actor and director from Japan, living and working in Vancouver, BC. We talk about her latest work Akashi, how much of it is real vs. fiction, how the story started out as a play and evolved into a feature film and what translated best from stage to screen. Mayumi talks about the experience of growing up in different continents and how that shaped her sense of home and feeling of belonging. She talks about the nostalgia that comes with moving out and away from home. We also discuss how creating in itself is incomplete and how Mayumi navigates this working in a creative field.

Watch Akashi during the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 5th and October 9th

Intro: Hazy by OddFish