High and Main Productions proudly announces a bold live theatre production featuring two Canadian stories: Ultraviolet Life, written by Maria-Hélèna Pacelli and directed by Taras Stasiuk opening the night, followed with The Fruit Machine written by Brian Drader and directed by Maria-Hélèna Pacelli. Together these one-act scripts present a magnified view of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, histories and intersections.
High and Main Productions’ Fall live theatre event is a must-see double-bill evening entitled Love Under the Microscope. The show will run November 13 to 15 and 21 to 23, offering two weekends of evening shows and a Sunday matinee at the Chalet-Abri in l’Orignal. The production aims to unveil the truth and lived experiences of historical and contemporary Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ lives and stories of illness, persecution, healing, survival and finding connection. The symbol of the microscope stands in for the scrutiny of the medical system and its role in the systematic oppression of homosexuality, and of queer and sick or disabled bodies. It also represents the need to see things more clearly and analyze what is viewed with discernment when we’re seeking truth. Love Under the Microscope takes place in three different eras and generations, offering a cross-section of storytelling where identities and love stories are hidden and exposed through time and power dynamics.
The Fruit Machine focuses on tracing the story of one family affected by the LGBT purge in the Canadian public service. Beginning in 1965, the RCMP and Privy Council Office are hunting for homosexuals among their ranks and conducting inquiries induced by Cold War era psychological queer detection surveillance with a backdrop of homophobic violence when homosexuality is illegal in Canada. The counterculture is looking for an identity, the government is looking for homosexuals, and a young family is looking for their place in a rapidly changing world. In 1993 the next generation of homosexuals survived the purge, the AIDS crisis and more homophobia. Based on historical fact, The Fruit Machine skillfully weaves the events of two very different times and two very different people into a story about family, political intrigue, love, hate, survival, and being gay in the 60’s versus the 90’s.
“I saw the script in Winnipeg while visiting the Canadian Human Rights Museum Exhibit Love in a Dangerous Time and knew right away that High and Main Productions needed to bring this story home to Eastern Ontario and the National Capital Region,” said Director and Board Co-Chair Maria-Hélèna Pacelli.
“We are really proud to showcase bold Canadian theatre that tells untold stories of oppression where love prevails,” said Board Co-Chair Konstantine Malakos. “Our board knows that the local community is ready to hear these stories and we’re thrilled to rise to the challenge.”
Paired with a contemporary short play by local playwright and founding board member of High and Main Productions, Maria-Hélèna Pacelli, Ultraviolet Life is a queer-coded story of chronic illness and resilience, exploring internal conflict, experiences with the medical system, and the toll taken on loved ones. “It’s a powerful complement to The Fruit Machine,” said Director Taras Stasiuk, “because it examines a conflict from within, literalizing the mental turmoil that comes with affliction, and showing how loved ones, both suffer in turn and also exacerbate it. Our protagonist’s lover, for example, has to find a balance between compassionate understanding and her own self-care. It’s a very human, empathetic play.”
Together these two one-act plays promise a night not to be missed, building on the company’s past productions Beneath the Surface and Pinocchio which have already demonstrated this local non-profit theatre company delivers excellence on a shoestring budget. High and Main Productions gratefully acknowledges a broad base of community support since its inauguration in June 2025.
