4 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 2015 EDITOR XIAO XU By JASON HAMILTON Ihe force is strong in Vancouver with venues and groups around the city gearing up for The Force Awakens’ premiere on Dec. 18. Cineplex is hosting five Star Wars marathons across the country in Van- couver, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. The first six films will be shown and then capped off with a screening of The Force Awakens, said Sarah Van Lange, communication di- rector for Cineplex Entertainment. “They have a run time of about 17 hours starting from 4:45 a.m. and they all go straight into a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at 7 p.m.,” Van Lange said. According to Van Lange, ticket sales for advance seating have broken Cine- plex records. The Vancouver Giants of the WHL are also getting in on the act. The Giants’ players will be wearing Star Wars Stormtrooper jerseys when they host the Saskatoon Blades on Dec. 4 at the Pacific Coliseum. Dale Saip, the Giants’ vice president of business development said all the Star Wars-themed jerseys will be avail- able to purchase at the game and all proceeds from the game will benefit the Gizeh Shriners of B.C. & Yukon, a philanthropic organization that pro- vides health care for those in need. Samantha Reeves, organizer for Vancouver Movie Fans, is planning an event for local Star Wars fans to watch the first three Star Wars movies to- gether. According to Reeves, the event will take place at La Fontana Caffe, which is located on Hasting Street in Burnaby. Starting Dec. 4, it will occur every Fri- day leading up to the release of The CHRIS RELKE submitted photo Thomas Foster (left) and Dawson Holt (right) pose with Stormtrooper to promote the Vancouver Giants Star Wars night on Dec. 4. Star warriors gear up in force Vancouver Set to celebrate latest sequel with a variety of activities Force Awakens. The manager at La Fontana Caffe, John Latrofa is expecting a big turnout and a boost to business. Latrofa said 35 people have re- served seats for the event. Patrick Shaugh- nessy, manager at Golden Age Col- lectables on Gran- ville Street said, “for people that come in here, it’s in patrick sHaucH. —“heir blood.” NESSY Shaughnessy Manager at has prepared for Golden Age the film’s release Collectables by loading up on Star Wars memora- bilia and _ collect- ibles on the store’s shelves. 66 They have arun time of about 17 hours starting from 4:45 a.m. SARAH VAN LANGE COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR FOR CINEPLEX ENTER- TAINMENT Make your own radio or plane Local group holding work- shops to build AM radios and model airplanes By KATHRYN WU teaching people how to build their own AM radios and radio con- trolled fixed-wing airplanes. The VHS, a non-profit organization, hosts several do-it-yourself workshops a week, with the next one taking place this coming Sunday. Participants can solder their own AM radios under su- pervision. Workshops are open to the public for a fee of $40 for non-members and open houses are conducted every Tuesday. Different levels of member- ships are available at varying prices. Steven Smethurst, a former director at VHS, said that there are 20 separate components for participants to put to- gether for the radio workshop. Partici- pants can expect to learn about the functions of each component and the process of radio-building from start to finish. Smethurst said the workshops are beginner-friendly, although experts will be available to help beginners with their projects. “We have about 30 people who come to the door every Tuesday, each of them brand new,” he said. Smethurst added it normally takes beginners about a half hour to feel com- fortable with the building process. The electronics scene has changed over the years, according to Smethurst. “Seven or eight years ago, most of the development boards didn’t exist or they were more expensive,” he said. Arthur Hazleden, another former di- rector of VHS, said hack spaces are not just for electronic enthusiasts. “There’s been more involvement with people who are into doing elec- tronics and people doing events and music,” he said. For Hazleden, space had always been a persistent issue for the VHS. “T wish there was more space for us to lease. The hack space is currently looking for a new location and it’s a challenge,” said Hazleden. According to the VHS website, hack spaces are communal areas for “hack- ers” to share. They reconfigure tech- nology for different purposes, often leading to new inventions. Hazleden said the first independent hack space is c-base that originated in Berlin in 1995. Te: Vancouver Hack Space (VHS) is Popular Disney ice show hits city Frozen organizers schedule an extra show due to high demand from Vancouver fans By SERENA PATTAR It’s the question Anna and Elsa will be asking as Disney on Ice’s Frozen performs this week at the Pa- cific Coliseum. This is the first year Frozen has come to Canada, and Vancouver is the first stop. Last year the show only toured in the U.S. “This show has been so popular that we’ve even added another one in Van- couver,” said Chris Reichert, the West Coast Region communications director for Feld Entertainment. “Usually we only do nine shows, but with Frozen we decided to do 10 because the demand is just so great.” Reichert said the popularity of the Disney movie has captivated the world, D you want to build a snowman? and created a brand like no other, with an intense demand for anything Fro- zen-related. “It’s been one of the most popular Disney on Ice shows we’ve ever had,” said Reichert, “It’s r4 4 just phenomenally popular.” The Vancouver 7 shows appear to be She can’t she pee ° ollowing the same wait to see trend, although ex- Anna and act information on ° ticket sales could Elsa sin g not be released. and dance Sandy Farwaha knew she had to take her four-year- MOTHER OFA ©!d daughter, Ava, FOUR-YEAR-OLD to see the on-ice GIRL version as soon as SANDY FARWAHA tickets were released. “IT decided to go because Ava is a huge fan of Frozen. She’s even named herself Ava Elsa,” said Farwaha. She said her daughter will be dress- ing up for the show, but doesn’t know if she wants to go as Anna or Elsa, so she might go as a mix of both. Farwaha said part of the appeal for her daughter is the excitement of see- ing her favourite characters come to life off the screen. “She can’t wait to see Anna and Elsa sing and dance,” she said. Mariah Cawkell, Tila Tilley and Jon Stackhouse are three B.C.-based per- formers that will be skating as mem- bers of Frozen’s ensemble for the show’s Canadian tour. The show runs until Sunday at the Pacific Coliseum. TIM PANNELL submitted photo Performer plays Elsa in Frozen at Disney on Ice.