It’s that time of year when puppets reign supreme in Calgary’s art scene.
The Festival of Animated Objects is back for its 15th iteration, with live performances, exhibitions and screenings in full force this week. The festival officially runs from March 14th to 22nd, with three exhibitions hanging around until April.
That means there’s still plenty of time to explore your puppet side.
Local puppeteer Xstine Cook founded the festival in 2002 after touring internationally and seeing the immense talent of fellow artists.
“I was just so inspired,” she said.
“I thought, I really want to do that for Calgary artists and for Calgary audiences, to bring this next-level work.”
Over the past 24 years, Cook has slowly grown her small dream. The festival originally ran sporadically, with one in 2002 and 2005, then turned to a biennial operation. By 2015, the festival had grown too big for Cook, so with the help of Peter Balkville, co-founder of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop, the festival became a not-for-profit: The International Festival of Animated Objects Society.
This meant Cook could take a step back, and trust her fellow artists to take the wheel. Her roles are now limited to sitting on the board and producing the Dolly Wiggler Cabaret, which is a co-production with Cook’s other endeavor, the Calgary Animated Objects Society
“It has been a massive involvement from the puppet community, which is small, but mighty and has definitely grown over the past 24 years,” she said
“There’s a lot of different organizations that each carry a part of the festival.”
Jokingly referred to as ‘puppet mafia’ by Cook, these organizations have shaped the festival into its current form. It now runs annually, and curation is done by a collective of local creatives.
Because puppetry is about collaboration, not competition, she said.
A performance for the whole family
This year’s lineup pairs home-grown talent with touring productions like Radio Silence, a mask and puppetry show created by Open Pit Theatre in collaboration with the Wonderheads.
Co-writer and director Jessica Hickman described the show as a new artistic endeavour for the company.
“This is our first foray into creating an all-ages, family-friendly, wordless show,” she said.
Combining puppetry, masks and intricately designed projections, it tells the story of a bush pilot lost in the Yukon wilderness and her sister’s search for her. No dialogue is featured, but they use voice-over and music to bring the performance to life.
The show, which premiered in Whitehorse in 2022, has already travelled from rural Yukon communities to Victoria, Montreal and even Osaka, Japan. Its inclusion in the lineup is another effort to strengthen Calgary’s artistic presence.
“We wanted to support shows touring throughout western Canada,” said live performance curator Ali DeReget.
“There’s a large network that makes touring very viable in eastern Canada, but less so in the west, so we wanted to do what we could to foster that.”
Radio Silence wasn’t originally conceived for families, but as they toured, Hickman discovered its broad appeal.
“We were aiming to create a dramatic piece, but as a result, I think it’s got some universal themes that kids can really relate to,” she said
“Because it’s wordless, they can grasp it and it goes at a slower pace.”
Families can catch Radio Silence at the Seton YMCA on March 21 or 22, either for an evening out or a mid-afternoon activity.
Performing through grief
While touring shows bring global perspectives into Calgary, the festival has found ways to nurture local talent.
Its incubator program, launched during the pandemic, gives artists two years to build a full-length production from concept to stage. It’s a rare opportunity for Calgary artists, where funding and space can be hard to secure.
One of the incubator artists this year is Stephanie Quilliams, who’s been involved with the festival for years but never had the confidence to perform.
“I had been volunteering for the festival for several years, and I was on the art committee, but I never took myself seriously,” she said.
“It brings tears to my eyes that the festival gave me such a chance and helped me see that I had this potential and that I could be a creator.”
Quilliams’ project, Ghost, is a multimedia movement piece born from the grief of losing her sister to suicide. By combining animation, puppetry and dance, Quilliams navigates the journey to healing.
The creation was about getting her emotions out, but now she hopes it helps audience members in their own journeys.
“I want other people to know that they aren’t alone in feeling the pain from loss,” she said.
Ghost will be performed at cSPACE Marda Loop on March 19, and Quilliams hopes it shows Calgarians the healing power of puppetry.
“Everybody’s life would be better if they played with a puppet once in a while,” she said.
