Toronto Artists Launch Interactive Retro Video Game Themed Show

Planet Fabulon, winners of a Canada Council for the Arts Digital Originals grant, is remastering and remounting LEVEL UP: their immersive, retro video game virtual experience. Over four nights, spanning two weekends and culminating on Halloween, Zoom audiences of all ages will choose-their-own-adventure through multiple levels of original 8-bit animation, stellar musicians, dazzling circus performers, evil bosses, real-time challenges with real-world prizes, and much more! It's an online game, a concert, a visual art show, a piece of theatre, and a dance party all wrapped into one! Join once, twice, or all four nights to experience everything this 8-bit world has to offer! Ticket prices range from $15 for single players to $50 for a multiplayer COVID pod. A reduced income price of $5 is available for those experiencing hardship. Tickets go on sale October 2nd on www.planetfabulon.online and tiny.cc/levelup-remastered.

"People of Earth! We are relieved and excited to announce that your beloved Halloween is not cancelled. It has simply moved online...and thrown on a sparkly spacesuit!" enthuses the Planet Fabulon Bridge Crew. "Thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts, we will be beaming down four nights of LEVEL UP: an interactive music, dance, and visual show in the style of a retro video game where the audience determines the outcome. Each night, for just over one of your Earth hours, we invite you to join our hero on a quest to defeat three evil bosses across three different levels, each with their own musical and visual experience provided by stellar Toronto artists. With four chances to play and five unique levels to choose from, no two shows will be the same! All you need is a computer with a webcam, though costumes and decor are always encouraged. All galactic creatures are welcome!"

"Performers from all industries have been so devastated by COVID, both creatively and financially," says actor, Anna Douglas, who plays "The Hero" of LEVEL UP. "As one of those artists, I can't express how much joy working on this one-of-a-kind event has brought me, and how proud I am to be working with an organization that is using its funding from the CCA to support Toronto performers. And as an actor, I want to share that joy with our audiences! The energy of the silly, larger-than-life characters in LEVEL UP is so infectious that anyone - from kids to adults, music enthusiasts to gamers - can tune in for a respite from these challenging times and indulge in what we all love so much about Halloween: an escape into a costumed world of adventure!"

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Lighting Design - Top 3

1. Jen Schriever, Michael Arden - The Lost Boys

38.3% of votes

2. Jack Knowles - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

11.9% of votes

3. Adam Honoré - CATS: The Jellicle Ball

6.5% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats