“The F Word” mini-tour travels Calgary

Fat.

It’s a word that some relish, and others avoid.

The F Word show dives straight into the fat of the issue unapologetically, and with much humour.

The show kicked off its mini-tour Sept. 26 and 27 at the Brookfield YMCA in Seton.

Now, co-creators and performers Keshia Cheesman and Bianca Miranda are taking it north to Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge Oct. 3-4, before settling in for a run at Arts Commons’ Motel Theatre Oct. 8-12.

“The word fat, it’s so stigmatized that it is like an F-word,” Cheesman says. “We’ve heard that word and how fat is so stigmatized in our own lives and our own bodies and how we grew up. Talking about that is one of many reasons that me and Bianca were able to become close friends.”

The show going before audiences on this tour is the fine-tuned version of years of cumulative effort.

“We really have realized what our priorities are,” Miranda says. “Every single scene, every single moment, there’s something that’s at stake for us when we say it out loud.”

The show was first developed in about 2017 as a short segment within a show at Handsome Alice called Invisible, which explored living within your own body. From there, the show was commissioned and workshopped to grow into what it is today, with a premiere in 2023.

The F Word is a funny, fierce, and deeply personal exploration of fatness, friendship, and liberation. Cheesman and Miranda weave together sketch comedy, storytelling, song, and dance into a pop-art performance that is equal parts playful and political.

The show doesn’t shy away from science either.

“We also have these little segments called ‘Why Diets Fail’ and they’re more scientific,” Miranda says. “We talk about BMI, we talk about how your body goes into starvation mode when you diet and just all the diets that have existed throughout the years.”

But while the material is challenging, comedy remains the fuel.

“I think the way that Keisha and I cope is truly through comedy,” Miranda adds. “There’s just so much comedy in the show and it really is an entertaining night for us too.”

Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge: Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. and October 4 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. More information here.

Motel Theatre, Werklund Centre: Oct. 8–12. More information here.