When I first encountered Ride the Cyclone, I was struck by how much heart lives within its strange, quirky world. Beneath the humor, the dazzling music, and the darkly whimsical storytelling, there’s something very human happening. It is a raw, honest exploration of what it means to be young, to long for meaning, and to wrestle with the identities we’re trying so hard to shape.
This show tells the stories of six teenagers whose lives are cut short far too soon, but it never asks us to pity them. Instead, it invites us to hear them in all their messy, beautiful complexity. Each character's song is a window into the their hopes, fears, regrets, and dreams. And by listening, by witnessing them without judgment, we become more than an audience; we become participants in their journey.
For young people, and for anyone who has ever been a young person, these stories matter. They remind us that everyone is fighting battles we can't see, that behind every facade is a complicated, valuable soul deserving of understanding. When youth can see their own struggles and hopes reflected on stage, they are empowered to be more compassionate with each other and more accepting of themselves. They realize they are not alone.
The song "It's Just a Ride" captures the heart of this journey. Life is unpredictable: sometimes terrifying, sometimes exhilarating but it is fleeting and precious. Like an amusement park ride, it's filled with highs and lows, twists and turns, and it demands that we hold on to each other with kindness while we can.
Ride the Cyclone offers a powerful metaphor for life: it’s not about how long the ride lasts, but how deeply we live and love.
I hope this production makes you laugh, think, and maybe see the people around you, and yourself, with a little more compassion. Because, ultimately, we are all on this ride together!
Enjoy the ride
Nicole Oliver
Director
