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Arts & Entertainment Arts & Entertainment Not your preschoolers’ puppets
Arts & Entertainment Arts & Entertainment Not your preschoolers’ puppets
| Not your preschoolers’ puppets |
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| Written by JODI TWERDUN |
| Wednesday, 09 March 2011 18:30 |
The International Festival of Animated Objects shows that puppets are for everyone, and can be found everywhereWhen many people think of puppets, they think of childhood characters: Mr. Dressup, Lamb Chop, Jim Henson’s Muppets – cute, animated creatures fueled by imagination to entertain kids. 
Xstine Cook – the artistic director, curator and producer of The Calgary International Festival of Animated Objects (some of her work can be seen above with model Kat Hansen) – says that the upcoming events in Inglewood are more than just a puppet festival.
Photo courtesy of Sean Dennie
Cook says that the festival aims to embrace all aspects of animated objects. “It’s not just a puppet festival," Cook says. "We’re proud to present this art form that speaks to humanity on a deep cellular level. Every culture has a form of mast or puppetry in its storytelling traditions. “There is something primal about our human fascination with animating objects. Like kids playing with toys, bringing inanimate objects to life is a natural part of being human." Veteran puppeteer Ronnie Burkett, who will be reading from his new performance “Penny Plain” at the festival, also says that puppetry is about more than entertainment. “I understand the world less and less as time goes by; puppetry allows me to shrink my species to a manageable size and to have conversations about us with the audience,” Burkett says. This year, the festival will be celebrating its fifth anniversary. Cook, who is the founder of the festival, says that it was her own personal experiences, and Calgary’s large puppet scene, that initially gave her the idea for the festival. “I’d see amazing work all around the world and it would affect my own practice." “There’s such a strong and amazing puppet scene in Calgary. It seemed natural to bring work from elsewhere to show off to our local audience and have them meet and network with local artists,” she said. Burkett, whose own company, Theatre of Marionettes, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, says that the Calgary festival is different than any other of its kind in Canada, adding, “Most puppet festivals are kind of dorky." “I think there’s a larger and more experienced audience for adult puppetry in Calgary than anywhere else in Canada; larger than even Toronto or Vancouver." In an email, Nick Trotter, a performer who will be showcasing a shadow play adaptation of the Book of Jonah from the King James Bible, says he agrees with Burkett that the Calgary festival is unique to the region. “Simply existing in North America makes this festival a little unusual. Occasionally in New York there will be a big puppetry festival, but these kinds of things are much more common in Europe,” Trotter says. Cook says that one of the festival’s main priorities is building a sense of community and recognition for all participants, which makes filling the roster easy. “Calgary prides itself on our hospitality, so it’s easy to get folks to jump on board." As this is his first year with the festival, Trotter says he is excited, and expects “a wild ride through the territories of the imagination.” Burkett, who grew up near Calgary, says it’s one of the great things about the city: “People have an opinion that it’s pretty redneck and while collar, but go figure, it has this great puppet festival and a great puppet audience.” For more information about the festival, visit animatedobjects.ca. |
