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B.C. man behind 80s laser light craze shows no sign of slowing down

Click to play video: 'This is BC: Laser light legacy'
This is BC: Laser light legacy
If you grew up in Metro Vancouver in the 80s, you know a hot ticket on a Friday night was a laser light show at the HR Macmillan Planetarium. While you may not have seen one of the shows in a while, the man behind the popular events is still going strong. Jay Durant has more in This is BC – Feb 25, 2025

There have been more than a few advancements in technology to enhance a show that Craig F. McCaw has been producing for well over four decades.

“I’m 80 now, it’s time for my nap. But apparently not,” McCaw told This is BC.

He’s the man behind the laser light craze during the 1980s at the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium.

“Every show would sell out. I think we sold out Dark Side of the Moon for an entire year,” said McCaw. “Radiohead to Pink Floyd to Pink.”

The venue may be smaller at their current home at BCIT, but alongside his son, Roundhouse Productions is still firing up the fog machine a few nights every month.

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“I feel the laser shows in Vancouver are kind of a standard. They’ve been around for so long,” said Orion McCaw.

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This is BC: Athlete honoured for dedication to sports and community

Craig’s travelled all over capturing images, while getting creative over the years as new cameras came out.

“I got five GoPros and stuck them together,” said McCaw. “We shot a lot of stuff on this all around the world.”

A show that once had people coming back again and again over the years seems to still be having the same effect after all this time.

“A couple and their two kids came up and said ‘hey this is great, I’m glad you’re still doing this. We had our first date at one of your shows,” said Orion McCaw.

“Maybe the boss has been yelling at them or the teacher’s been yelling at them and they’re having a bad day. You just come in and lose yourself and have some fun for a while,” said McCaw.

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“People are just happy, they say thanks and when can we see the next one, what’s the next act going to be. What’s the next show you’re going to do, that’s what keeps us going.”

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