“Which is the greater treason? Treason to your country, or treason to your friends?”

The 1960s saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police double down on their already aggressive campaign to eliminate homosexuals from the civil service. Driven by cold war induced paranoia of security risks the RCMP pointed their attention at the queer communities for their perceived “character weaknesses”. Taking historical text, real-life accounts, poetry, and movement Fruit Machine tells the story of hundreds through the bodies of four.

Fruit Machine, the debut creation from director Alex Rioux in collaboration with Solo Chicken Production, is both a haunting look at the harm paranoia-driven policy can do to vulnerable communities, and a memorial to the brave and powerful queer individuals who resisted an insidious, dehumanizing security campaign. 

Tickets coming Soon!

In July & August of 2023, Solo Chicken Productions will be touring their ground-breaking physical theatre work Fruit Machine. Created and directed by artist Alex Rioux, with a primarily queer cast and crew, the production uses movement, projection, and historical text to interpret and investigate the questionable practices of the RCMP and Canadian Military that targeted the 2SLGBTQIA+ community from the 50’s through to the 90’s. 

As part of the tour, Solo Chicken Productions is offering FREE physical theatre workshops for any interested folks who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+.  The workshops aim to give participants an introduction to physical theatre and help build excitement around the art of telling your own story through theatre.

The Workshop:  Physicalizing Text with Alex Rioux 

Peek behind the curtain at the creation of Fruit Machine as workshop instructor and director of Fruit Machine Alex Rioux (they/them) takes participants through some of the devising techniques used by the creative team of Fruit Machine to develop the show. Using a short line of dialogue as a prompt, participants will be taught basic physical theatre principles and explore the vast range of ways they can use movement to physicalize text and create a dynamic and exciting piece of movement theatre.

This is an introductory workshop, so no prior physical theatre or theatre experience is necessary. This workshop is ONLY open to members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

ABOUT ALEX RIOUX

Alex Rioux is an emerging non-binary theatre artist, improvisor, and educator currently based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Their work focuses on using physical theatre to enhance traditional narratives to create rich and unique theatre experiences. 

Note: Workshop participants will be receive a discounted ticket price ($10) for the August 3nd performance of Fruit Machine.

“Which is the greater treason? Treason to your country, or treason to your friends?”

The 1960s saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police double down on their already aggressive campaign to eliminate homosexuals from the civil service. Driven by cold war induced paranoia of security risks the RCMP pointed their attention at the queer communities for their perceived “character weaknesses”. Taking historical text, real-life accounts, poetry, and movement Fruit Machine tells the story of hundreds through the bodies of four.

Fruit Machine, the debut creation from director Alex Rioux in collaboration with Solo Chicken Production, is both a haunting look at the harm paranoia-driven policy can do to vulnerable communities, and a memorial to the brave and powerful queer individuals who resisted an insidious, dehumanizing security campaign. 

To purchase tickets, click here

“Which is the greater treason? Treason to your country, or treason to your friends?”

The 1960s saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police double down on their already aggressive campaign to eliminate homosexuals from the civil service. Driven by cold war induced paranoia of security risks the RCMP pointed their attention at the queer communities for their perceived “character weaknesses”. Taking historical text, real-life accounts, poetry, and movement Fruit Machine tells the story of hundreds through the bodies of four.

Fruit Machine, the debut creation from director Alex Rioux in collaboration with Solo Chicken Production, is both a haunting look at the harm paranoia-driven policy can do to vulnerable communities, and a memorial to the brave and powerful queer individuals who resisted an insidious, dehumanizing security campaign.

In July & August of 2023, Solo Chicken Productions will be touring their ground-breaking physical theatre work Fruit Machine. Created and directed by artist Alex Rioux, with a primarily queer cast and crew, the production uses movement, projection, and historical text to interpret and investigate the questionable practices of the RCMP and Canadian Military that targeted the 2SLGBTQIA+ community from the 50’s through to the 90’s. 

As part of the tour, Solo Chicken Productions is offering FREE physical theatre workshops for any interested folks who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+.  The workshops aim to give participants an introduction to physical theatre and help build excitement around the art of telling your own story through theatre.

The Workshop:  Physicalizing Text with Alex Rioux 

Peek behind the curtain at the creation of Fruit Machine as workshop instructor and director of Fruit Machine Alex Rioux (they/them) takes participants through some of the devising techniques used by the creative team of Fruit Machine to develop the show. Using a short line of dialogue as a prompt, participants will be taught basic physical theatre principles and explore the vast range of ways they can use movement to physicalize text and create a dynamic and exciting piece of movement theatre.

This is an introductory workshop, so no prior physical theatre or theatre experience is necessary. This workshop is ONLY open to members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

ABOUT ALEX RIOUX

Alex Rioux is an emerging non-binary theatre artist, improvisor, and educator currently based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Their work focuses on using physical theatre to enhance traditional narratives to create rich and unique theatre experiences. 

Note: Workshop participants will receive free entry to the July 30th performance of Fruit Machine.

“Which is the greater treason? Treason to your country, or treason to your friends?”

The 1960s saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police double down on their already aggressive campaign to eliminate homosexuals from the civil service. Driven by cold war induced paranoia of security risks the RCMP pointed their attention at the queer communities for their perceived “character weaknesses”. Taking historical text, real-life accounts, poetry, and movement Fruit Machine tells the story of hundreds through the bodies of four

Fruit Machine, the debut creation from director Alex Rioux in collaboration with Solo Chicken Production, is both a haunting look at the harm paranoia-driven policy can do to vulnerable communities, and a memorial to the brave and powerful queer individuals who resisted an insidious, dehumanizing security campaign.

In July & August of 2023, Solo Chicken Productions will be touring their ground-breaking physical theatre work Fruit Machine. Created and directed by artist Alex Rioux, with a primarily queer cast and crew, the production uses movement, projection, and historical text to interpret and investigate the questionable practices of the RCMP and Canadian Military that targeted the 2SLGBTQIA+ community from the 50’s through to the 90’s. 

As part of the tour, Solo Chicken Productions is offering FREE physical theatre workshops for any interested folks who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+.  The workshops aim to give participants an introduction to physical theatre and help build excitement around the art of telling your own story through theatre.

The Workshop:  Physicalizing Text with Alex Rioux 

Peek behind the curtain at the creation of Fruit Machine as workshop instructor and director of Fruit Machine Alex Rioux (they/them) takes participants through some of the devising techniques used by the creative team of Fruit Machine to develop the show. Using a short line of dialogue as a prompt, participants will be taught basic physical theatre principles and explore the vast range of ways they can use movement to physicalize text and create a dynamic and exciting piece of movement theatre.

This is an introductory workshop, so no prior physical theatre or theatre experience is necessary. This workshop is ONLY open to members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

ABOUT ALEX RIOUX

Alex Rioux is an emerging non-binary theatre artist, improvisor, and educator currently based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Their work focuses on using physical theatre to enhance traditional narratives to create rich and unique theatre experiences. 

Note: Workshop participants will receive free entry to the July 29th perform of Fruit Machine.

“Which is the greater treason? Treason to your country, or treason to your friends?”

The 1960s saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police double down on their already aggressive campaign to eliminate homosexuals from the civil service. Driven by cold war induced paranoia of security risks the RCMP pointed their attention at the queer communities for their perceived “character weaknesses”. Taking historical text, real-life accounts, poetry, and movement Fruit Machine tells the story of hundreds through the bodies of four.

Fruit Machine, the debut creation from director Alex Rioux in collaboration with Solo Chicken Production, is both a haunting look at the harm paranoia-driven policy can do to vulnerable communities, and a memorial to the brave and powerful queer individuals who resisted an insidious, dehumanizing security campaign. 

“Which is the greater treason? Treason to your country, or treason to your friends?”

The 1960s saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police double down on their already aggressive campaign to eliminate homosexuals from the civil service. Driven by cold war induced paranoia of security risks the RCMP pointed their attention at the queer communities for their perceived “character weaknesses”. Taking historical text, real-life accounts, poetry, and movement Fruit Machine tells the story of hundreds through the bodies of four.

Fruit Machine, the debut creation from director Alex Rioux in collaboration with Solo Chicken Production, is both a haunting look at the harm paranoia-driven policy can do to vulnerable communities, and a memorial to the brave and powerful queer individuals who resisted an insidious, dehumanizing security campaign.

*JULY 27 SHOW SOLD OUT!*

Join panellists as they discuss the history of the LGBT Purge, through an academic and personal lens and reflect on the role art can play in disseminating and commemorating this tragic chapter of Canadian history.

Solo Chicken Productions in partnership with Pride Fredericton is hosting a panel discussion exploring the history of the purge, human rights implications, and possibilities of using art to commemorate and disseminate information about the purge.  What is the ‘LGBT Purge’?  ‘Between the 1950s and mid-1990s, LGBT members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and the federal public service were systematically discriminated against, harassed, and often fired as a matter of policy and sanctioned practice. In what came to be known as the “LGBT Purge”, people were followed, interrogated, abused, and traumatized by their own government.’ 

Moderated by Queer Heritage Initiative Director Meredith Batt and featuring panelists Dr. Lynne Gouliquer (Associate Professor at Laurentian University, Purge Survivor), Dr. Carmen Poulin (Professor of Psychology at UNB), Alex Rioux (Director and Creator of Physical Theatre Performance Fruit Machine) and Diane Doiron (Purge Survivor) the panel promises to provide a window into a critical part of queer history and to foster conversation about the importance of bringing those stories to light.

Attend the panel via Zoom here!

Solo Chicken Productions and partners L’Arche Fredericton and The Charlotte Street Arts Centre invite you to join The Spirit Project, a company of artists with and without intellectual and physical disabilities for their latest production, HEARTS ABOVE US. An ode to the company and the realization that ‘we are better together’, the production is a multi-disciplinary explosion of art, theatre, music, and film. Directed by Lisa Anne Ross, with Assistant Direction by Kaylee MacNeil, created and performed by the company and featuring a roster of all-star collaborators including music composition by Kylie Fox, set design by Andrea Evans, costume design by Becca Wiegers and videography by Strike Pictures, this show is a tribute to ourselves.

HEARTS ABOVE US, examines who we are as individuals, what moves us and makes us awesome.  We are mothers, we are sons, caretakers, and friends.  We are artists, bakers, comedians, and backwards words aficionados.  We are sassy, silky, luminous, and dreaming of a pontoon.

Solo Chicken Productions and partners L’Arche Fredericton and The Charlotte Street Arts Centre invite you to join The Spirit Project, a company of artists with and without intellectual and physical disabilities for their latest production, HEARTS ABOVE US. An ode to the company and the realization that ‘we are better together’, the production is a multi-disciplinary explosion of art, theatre, music, and film. Directed by Lisa Anne Ross, with Assistant Direction by Kaylee MacNeil, created and performed by the company and featuring a roster of all-star collaborators including music composition by Kylie Fox, set design by Andrea Evans, costume design by Becca Wiegers and videography by Strike Pictures, this show is a tribute to ourselves.

HEARTS ABOVE US, examines who we are as individuals, what moves us and makes us awesome.  We are mothers, we are sons, caretakers, and friends.  We are artists, bakers, comedians, and backwards words aficionados.  We are sassy, silky, luminous, and dreaming of a pontoon.