Created by Andrew Ritchie

Cycle is a high-octane, immersive theatre experience set on stationary bikes. This award-winning solo performance—written, developed, and performed by Andrew Ritchie—invites audiences into a dynamic, physically engaging journey through the exhilaration and danger of cycling culture in Canada.

Audience members are invited to participate by pedalling alongside Ritchie, mirroring his intense ride as he navigates urban streets. Through this interactive format, Cycle draws from Ritchie’s real-life experiences as a bike food courier in Toronto, illuminating the financial and physical precarity of making a living in the gig economy. Deeply personal and politically charged, the piece gets the blood pumping while cultivating a renewed respect for two-wheeled travel.

What Is the Inspiration For Your Piece? (The seed of inspiration)
Do you know why you came tonight?

This play was devised on my stationary bike in a collaborative creation lab (the Good Women Dance Collective’s Creative Incubator) with seven other individuals all working on their own artistic processes. Cycle is my second play I have created and the first I have performed solo. The play originates from my advocacy, my past, my present, and my imagined future for myself and my children. It holds my anger, my fear, and my radical optimism that we can all collectively do better.

I invite you to
Think about why you came
Breathe that in
Feel your heartbeat
Be in space
Together

What Point In Process Is Your Piece At? (What stage of growth is your piece at)
Cycle has premiered and continues to evolve with every production and theatre space. I update the text and shift the locality of moments to fit the current presenting theatre’s location. Every performance is different based on the audience members interactions and stories they offer.
The show like a well loved and used bicycle is the same frame but the tires, the tubes, the brake pads, the grip tape, are repaired and change over time.

Approximate or Estimated Duration
75 minutes

Artist Credits (Whole Team Involved)

Director – Kristi Hansen*
Choreographer – Ainsley Hillyard*
Lighting and Projected Media Designer – T. Erin Gruber
Design Assistant – Skye Grinde
Sound Designer – Liv McRobbie
Playwright / Performer – Andrew Ritchie
Dramaturge – Geoffrey Simon Brown
Stage Manager – Galen Hite*
Producers – Alyson Dicey & Dayna Lea Hoffmann
Promotional Graphic Designer – Tynan Boyd

*The participation of these artists is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Indie 3.0 Agreement.

Special Thanks
Andrés Moreno, Asia Weinkauf-Bowman, Ashley Carter, Autumn Strom, Ben Osgood, Bradley Moss, Brenda, Brendan Thompson, Brian Maxwell, Caley Suliak, Christina Nguyen, Colby Stockdale, Crystal Eyo, Dave Belyea, Delia Barnett, Doug Mertz, Ellie Heath, Galen Hite, Jason Jama, Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull, Joan McCracken, Kate Couture, Keri Mitchell, Kristi Hansen, Liam, Lindsay McHutchion, Matea, Matthew, Mark Dicey, Mile Zero Dance, Mitch Dexter, Nelly Song, Nico Hein, Paths for People, Paul Blinov, Punctuate! Theatre, Rain Matkin, Sam Banigan, Sarah Dawson, Sebastian Edwards-Collins, Sharon, Sheiny Satanove, Shit Heel Bike Co., Stephanie Dodyk, Stuart Hoye, Syd Gross, T. Erin Gruber, Theatre Network, Theatre Prospero, Toby Yule, Trent Crosby, Tynan Boyd, and the entire team at Azimuth Theatre.

The play was originally developed in the Good Women Dance Collective’s Creative Incubator, led by facilitator Amber Borotsik, in 2021.

Where to Find the Artist
Website: www.thouartheretheatre.com
Instagram: @thouarthere
Facebook: Thou Art Here Theatre
LinkedIn: Thou Art Here Theatre