HOLD ON LET GO 2025 hosts Sex, Drugs and Criminality, February 7
The show by Mammalian Diving Reflex brings together teenagers with local arts stars Hiro Kanagawa, Vanessa Kwan, and Dan Mangan for some frank discussion

Mammalian Diving Reflex, Sex, Drugs and Criminality. Photo by Martin Steffen
HOLD ON LET GO presents Sex, Drugs and Criminality at the Russian Hall on February 7
SEX, DRUGS, AND criminality are typically topics that most adults avoid getting into in much depth with the teenagers in their lives. A new show by Mammalian Diving Reflex aims to bring those subjects to the forefront and attack them head-on.
Taking place at HOLD ON LET GO, the aptly titled Sex, Drugs and Criminality unites Vancouver teenagers aged 16 to 18 with three local arts-scene celebs: Hiro Kanagawa, Vanessa Kwan, and Dan Mangan.
The teens are invited to ask the artists any questions they want, while the panelists can refuse any questions they want. The goal is to get the two groups to bridge the intergenerational gap and connect for some frank discussion.
Mangan is a singer-songwriter who has won two Juno awards and who has toured extensively across Canada, the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Kanagawa is a Japanese Canadian actor and playwright who has appeared on The X-Files, written for Da Vinci’s Inquest, and received the 2017 Governor-General’s Literary Award for Drama for his play Indian Arm. Kwan is a producer-curator who is currently director and curator of galleries and exhibitions at Emily Carr University of Art + Design; their art practice has often involved the production of work in public spaces.
Conceived and directed by Mammalian Diving Reflex and Darren O’Donnell, Sex, Drugs and Criminality has been presented at Germany’s Ruhrtriennale festival, Italy’s ZONA K and Milano Triennale Teatro dell’Arte, the U.K.’s The Lowry, Finland’s ANTI Contemporary Art Festival, Latvia’s Homo Novus festival, and Portugal’s Teatromosca.
The presentation of Sex, Drugs and Criminality at HOLD ON LET GO marks the show’s North American premiere. HOLD ON LET GO, which focuses on new, experimental works that look to challenge what performance is and can be, is produced by Theatre Replacement in partnership with Company 605.
Gail Johnson is cofounder and associate editor of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.
Related Articles
This final edition of North Van Arts’ long-running annual event features engaging music and glowing images, all in serene outdoor settings
Intimate duet to begin with no end explores the artists’ respective religions with care and intensity
The 18th annual edition of the wide-ranging event builds thriving community by emphasizing historical and cultural diversity
Dutch accordionist Erica Roozendaal explores themes of abuse and childhood instability in her heartfelt solo performance
All-ages show by Cause & Effect Circus incorporates high-level skills, inventive lighting, and fun sound effects
Howard Dai’s Dream Machine pulls inspiration from Taiwanese game shows, while Paige Louter’s Nod acknowledges chronic fatigue
1 Santosh Santosh 2 Go touches on the model minority myth with hilarity and heart
Alt-rock band Meltt, D.O.A. frontman Joe Keithley, and singer-songwriter Ché Aimee Dorval are among the Burrard Stage highlights
In renowned one-man show I Wish I Was a Mountain, the award-winning British poet leans on rhythm of deep musical influences
Three concerts at RockRidge Canyon resort in Princeton highlight chamber works prepared by the artists during a week-long intensive
Presented with Boca del Lupo, the accessible production by the U.K.’s Seven Circles encourages interactive learning
The violinist’s Fantasy Vignettes interweaves Baroque music, costume changes, and sewing machines
On the BMO Mainstage, director Dean Paul Gibson puts an ’80s spin on this resonant tale of young love
Centred around portals, this year’s just-announced lineup includes several visual-art exhibitions, Vancouver International Jazz Festival concerts, and more
HATCH, Clementine, One Day This Kid, and Beyond the Salish are among the 47 Canadian shorts screening this year
The Zawose Queens, The Milk Cartons Kids, and more to hit the Main Stage at ʔəy̓alməxʷ Jericho Beach Park
In Hair Hair Everywhere, Shabnam debates whether or not she should shave
Moroccan and Spanish choreographers join the international contingent of event that runs at Firehall Arts Centre and SFU Woodward’s
All is not as it seems as two of Shakespeare’s most tumultuous couples navigate secret love and mistaken identities
At Progress Lab 1422, a pair of tracks feature multidisciplinary works by Howard Dai, Paige Louter, Cameron Peal, and more
Tickets on sale today for a Simran Sachar–Justine A. Chambers choreographic collab, comedian Kiran Deol, and Indian classical music star Alam Khan