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Aug 19, 2023
'Blade Runner'
Hannibal Chew An actor playing Hannibal Chew, a character from the original "Blade Runner" movie, is part of the experience at the "Blade Runner"-themed pop-up bar in downtown Oshawa this September.
Hannibal Chew
An actor playing Hannibal Chew, a character from the original "Blade Runner" movie, is part of the experience at the "Blade Runner"-themed pop-up bar in downtown Oshawa this September. It takes place at the Nexus Lounge, located in the old Diezel Room above the Atria at 59 King St. E. The pop-up will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings in September. - Citrus Media photo
If you’re a diehard fan of the classic 1982 Ridley Scott-directed science fiction film “Blade Runner,” you might just want to check out what’s coming to downtown Oshawa next month.
A “Blade Runner”-themed pop-up bar and immersive experience will open for three nights only every September weekend, and it’s intended to drench you in the experience of the 1982 movie, which imagined what a dystopian 2019 Los Angeles of 106 million people would look like.
The brainchild of Chris Trubela of Citrus Media, who is producing the event, the idea came about because, Trubela admits, “I love that movie and I’ve always loved immersive-type experiences.”
He said the old Diezel Room, above the Atria at 59 King St. E., became available for use, and he spoke to the owner about taking advantage of putting in a pop-up bar there.
“We’re taking the ‘Blade Runner’ idea and we’re riffing on it. We wanted to craft our own narrative based on our own storyline, set in the future from that movie, built out themed environments that are reminiscent from the original movie,” said Trubela.
He’s gone so far as to have actors play roles from the movie in the pop-up and has sets and designs that offer a “Blade Runner” feel for guests to enjoy.
One character dresses up as Hannibal Chew, one of the characters who worked in Eyeworks (replicant eye work). There’s also a vid phone with a functioning element to it.
“It’s a very unique thing to Oshawa and I know there’s a big fan base of people who love this franchise,” said Trubela, who adds that he has plans to continue after the pop-up run is over, but likely without actors involved.
Trubela figures his timing couldn’t be better, as the Regent Theatre is running the original “Blade Runner” movie on its classic movie night on Sept. 7, and the inaugural Convergence festival is happening in downtown Oshawa in the weekend of Sept. 22-24.
The “Blade Runner” pop-up will be open at Nexus at 59 King St. E., starting on Sept. 1, on Fridays and Saturdays in September from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. and on Sundays from 5 p.m. to midnight.
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