THEATRE PREVIEW

MARCH 2024 | Volume 237

 

Stand-up comedy and storytelling combine in a hilarious unfiltered interrogation of fatphobia!

The Cultch is thrilled to announce the world premiere of Neworld Theatre's Fat Joke, by Cheyenne Rouleau, produced in association with Rumble Theatre. Fat Joke will premiere as part of The Cultch's seventh annual Femme Festival on the Vancity Culture Lab stage, April 25—May 5, 2024.

A mixture of stand-up comedy, storytelling, and fact-blasting, Fat Joke puts fatphobia under the spotlight. Drawing upon personal experience and research, comedian, actor, and writer Cheyenne Rouleau dissects this often-untalked-about topic with eviscerating wit. 

Fat Joke's content ranges from media misrepresentation to diet culture, from mental health to eating disorders, from medical bias to white supremacy, ableism, and income disparity. "I think this show challenges some assumptions around health and wellness," says Rouleau. "About what it's like to really exist in a fat body and have the outside world constantly judging you for something that maybe you can't control or just something that's a part of your identity."

This world premiere was commissioned by Vancouver's Neworld Theatre, in association with Rumble Theatre. "I commissioned the piece after Cheyenne sent me some research she had done," says Neworld Theatre's Artistic Director, Chelsea Haberlin, who is also directing the show. "It was challenging some of the assumptions that we have about fatness and health and the way that we perceive bodies in our North American culture and the stories we attach to those bodies."

"As a fat person, I never thought of myself as 'sexy.' Society never allowed me to be. So I got funny."—Cheyenne Rouleau

Content Warning: This show contains sensitive themes, including depictions of child predators and mentions of abortions, cannibalism, misogyny, genocide, slavery, eugenics, racism, systemic oppression, sexual assault and mental illness. Additionally, there is significant discussion on fatphobia, diet culture, and eating disorders. Audience discretion is advised.

A Cultch and Neworld Co-Presentation in association with Rumble Theatre

Written and performed by Cheyenne Rouleau
Directed by Chelsea Haberlin
Dramaturged by Jiv Parasram 
Set Design by Jennifer Stewart
Sound Design by Mary Jane Coomber
Lighting & Projection Design by Andie Lloyd
Costume Design by Jessie Jade Churchill
Stage Managed by Jasmin Sandhu
Community Development Consultant, Layla Cameron
Accessibility Consultant, Siobhan Barker

WHEN: APRIL 25–MAY 05, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 7:30 PM—Opening
Friday, April 26, 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 27, 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 28, 2:00 PM
Tuesday, April 30, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, May 1, 7:30 PM
Thursday, May 2, 7:30 PM
Friday, May 3, 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 4, 2:00 PM
Saturday, May 4, 7:30 PM
Sunday, May 5, 2:00 PM

WHERE: Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables St., Vancouver, BC.

TICKETS: Tickets from $29. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch's Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/fat-joke

ABOUT NEWORLD THEATRE:
We create, produce and tour plays and performances that explore who we are through different perspectives, privileges, and lived experiences. We challenge existing systems of oppression by telling stories that are as complicated and contradictory as the world we live in. neworldtheatre.com

ABOUT THE CULTCH:
Since 1973, The Cultch (formally the Vancouver East Cultural Centre) has been one of Vancouver's most diverse and innovative arts and cultural hubs. The organisation operates three theatrical venues, a gallery, various ancillary spaces in the heart of East Vancouver, as well as digital programming through The Cultch Online that reaches international audiences. The Cultch offers dynamic contemporary programming in theatre, dance, music, and the visual arts, bringing world-class cultural presentations to thousands of citizens each year through its own programming and through providing rental opportunities for community users. Our purpose is to provide a venue for performance that serves a diverse and engaged public and provides space for artistic experimentation and development, building an audience for local companies and presenting cutting-edge national and international work.

The Cultch is located on the unceded Indigenous land of the xwməϴkwəýəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil‑Waututh) Nations.

 

 

 

 

 

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