Vancouver Pilgrimage. Meeting Alder.

Address: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

The first time we meet General Alder is when she is addressing the new recruits who have just arrived at Fort Salem for the first time.

This was also the first time we met the Biddies. This, I discovered was filmed at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, which is part of the University of British Columbia in West Vancouver. I believe the Alder speech to the graduating students at the end of S1 was also filmed in the same hall.

I also discovered that the unit harmony scenes were filmed there too.

With such dark filming, it was not always possible to get a feel for the exact nature of the space, so much is unseen.

So I packed my screengrabs and got the bus and went to UBC (University of British Columbia).

There are maps everywhere, so things are easy to find. I discovered that I was there during ‘Rush Week’, which I think is the equivalent of the UK’s Fresher’s Week. Lots of new students buying all the things they need to start their courses.

I had arrived before it opened. Of course, this being something to do with Motherland Fort Salem, it ‘opened at 12’.

I had time to kill. After I had photographed the Rose Garden….

…and visited the bookshop – where not only did I buy another armful of books, but I had to check out the labcoats…

Those who know me from Watch Partys on Twitter know I have a real thing about how inappropriate the necro lab coats are. These lab coats had pop fastenings and Velcro, so I was happy. I was tempted by the Witches calendar, which was on sale.

Eventually I got back to the Chan Centre, after 12! There was only one employee on duty at the front, so I was able to have a long talk. There are actually 3 performance spaces. I got shown pictures and was allowed to take photos.

The Unit harmony scenes were shot at the Telus Studio Centre. The Alder scene was shot at the Chan Shun Concert Hall.

Telus Studio Theatre.

Chan Shun Concert Hall.

I had permission to go into the building and take as many photos as I wanted. She did tell me that the performance spaces were locked.

Having talked myself into the building and got permission for photos, so far so good. I found the performance spaces, and the doors were locked – you can’t blame a girl for trying! So, I tried to find someone else who worked there who I might try to persuade to let me into the performance spaces to take photos. Not a soul around. How can I talk my way into places, when there is nobody to persuade?

I just needed to get through those doors.

So close, but no entry.

But these are performance spaces, so I had a last throw of the dice. I went back to the person at the entrance and we checked for any performances happening in those spaces in my remaining days in Vancouver. If the only way in was to buy a ticket, that would be an option. Nothing in the Telus Studio all month. The one performance in the Concert Hall was sold out.

A locked door was as close as I was going to get. But looking online, there was a shot of the concert hall that lined up nicely with the opening Alder scene, giving a better view of how it looks.