Where the Rubber Meets the Stage

photography by Mat Simpson

Source: Edify Magazine

Author of the Article: Alyssa Noel

'Cycle' invites its audience to ride along on a personal exploration of active transportation

Andrew Ritchie isn’t here to sway your opinion on bike lanes.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily possible in a 75-minute show,” says the actor, playwright and artistic director of Edmonton’s Thou Art Here Theatre. Still, his award-winning solo play Cycle, playing at the Roxy Theatre until Oct. 26, digs deep into the often contentious topic of active transportation from the perspective of a financially challenged bike food courier.

The hotly debated bike lanes issue – especially relevant ahead of the Oct. 20 civic election – came to a head this summer when Alberta’s transportation minister threatened to halt bike lane construction in several north-side neighbourhoods, which is unfolding as part of a $100 million bike plan. “There is a lot of conversation around it, which is exciting in many ways for the play,” says Ritchie. “People have very strong opinions about it, no matter where they land on the political spectrum. (Bike lanes) have become part of the culture wars online and in everyday conversation.”

Cycle, which premiered last year, chronicles both the danger and exhilaration of urban biking from the seats of several bikes, often zipping around the stage. The story draws from Ritchie’s experiences as a Toronto bike food courier, as well as an avid cyclist and cycling activist, but it’s also largely improvised. In each show, Ritchie engages directly with the audience, inviting them to take a seat in one of the stationaries next to the stage, while he asks them to share stories of feeling joy and fear behind the handlebars.