A one-woman show that’s equal parts stand-up comedy, storytelling and fact-blasting social commentary, Fat Joke sheds light on being overweight in a society that emphasizes size over substance.
Get ready to get uncomfortable and get ready to laugh as Cheyenne Rouleau takes the stage on Friday February 7. Presented by the Sid Williams Theatre Society’s Blue Circle Series, Fat Joke is an exploration of life as a fat person, told with wit and unflinching honesty.
“It dissects my own personal journey navigating the world as a fat person from when I was a kid to having my own child now, and how my fatness has intersected with all these important parts of my life,” Rouleau explains.
That journey inspired a project with an unexpected origin. Before it became a theatrical production, Fat Joke was a PowerPoint presentation created for a workplace HR initiative at Rouleau’s day job.
“I was dealing with fatphobia at work, and I thought, ‘Well, this is an opportunity to talk about it,’” Rouleau shares. What began as a mix of myth-busting and advice for discussing bodies in professional spaces quickly transformed. Director and long-time friend Chelsea Haberlin saw the potential in Rouleau’s material and encouraged her to turn it into a full-length performance.
Despite initial hesitancy, she trusted Haberlin’s instincts. “I thought, ‘Okay, if you think this can be something, I’m willing to try.’”
Thus began the transformation of the PowerPoint into a stage show, blending data with personal narrative. By connecting the research to her own experiences, she found humour in unexpected places. “No matter how hard I tried to write something serious, it always ended up being funny,” she admits.
Creating Fat Joke was a deeply collaborative process. Working with dramaturg Jiv Parasram and director Haberlin, Rouleau sifted through 34 years of life to shape the show. “Jiv would ask me these loose, open-ended questions, and suddenly I’d be talking for 20 minutes about a story I hadn’t thought about in years.
“When I started writing the show, one thing I talked with Jiv about a lot was what I wanted people to take away from the show. And, honestly, I want people to be able to have big feelings and have big conversations on the way home.
“I don't expect everybody to relate to the show. And I'm very clear that I don't speak for all fat people – this is my own experience. But I think people can glean a lot and have introspection into their own experiences and their own relationships with their bodies. I want people to really feel those feelings, have those big conversations with people that they love.”
The result is a show that starts with fast-paced humour before diving into more emotional territory. By the end, audiences often find themselves in tears.
That balance between laughs and vulnerability is what makes Fat Joke so impactful. Rouleau uses comedy to break down barriers, making audiences more open to hearing difficult truths.
“Comedy is such a great way to sneak in the big stuff,” she explains. From dismantling the flawed history of the BMI to critiquing societal assumptions about fat bodies, the show is as informative as it is entertaining.
As part of the acting industry, Rouleau is acutely aware of societal assumptions tied to physical appearance. She’s experienced firsthand how these biases shape the roles she’s offered, including one instance where she was cast as a grandmother at just 26. “I definitely don’t think I’m a grandmother,” she laughs. “But someone saw my body type and made an assumption based on stereotype.”
These moments have shaped her perspective as both an artist and a person. “It’s very much based on how you look and what people think the way you look says about you or the character,” she explains. “It’s an interesting removal of ego because, after a while, you have to understand that how you are perceived is the thing you’re selling, whether it resonates with your true self or not.
More than just a personal exploration, Fat Joke calls for change in how we perceive and treat one another based on outward appearances. “I talk a lot about it in the show because it’s something we all need to be more aware of and sensitive about.”
Audience reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with some deeply moving moments – like when a mother shared that her 16-year-old son, after seeing the show, told her it had changed his life. “I’m not exactly his demographic,” she laughs. “But it was incredibly special to see that he saw the importance and value in it.”
While it may not be life-changing for everyone, audiences will certainly take something away from this honest, funny and at times vulnerable look at the world.