The 39th annual High Performance Rodeo festival, presented by One Yellow Rabbit runs for three weeks in the dead of January. It opens today, and festival producer Oliver Armstrong is excited about the headliners and their connections to Calgary, as 2 of the 3 headliners grew up in Calgary and had success in Canada.
“They really wanted to bring their shows back to the Rodeo to headline,” Armstrong said.
One of the artists that is headlining this year is Lucy Darling. She’s a magician and comedian and her show has a bit of a burlesque flair to it. She’s made a massive imprint on the magic community, especially in the US.
“People like David Copperfield and Penn & Teller have propped her up,” Armstrong explained.
The Rodeo hardly ever brings in an artist two years in a row, but have made an exception for Lucy Darling. She is back by popular demand, in her show Indulgence for 3 nights only.
Back again this year with a new show Wonderful Joe is Ronnie Burkett, headlining the second week of the Rodeo. The production will premiere in the Martha Cohen Theatre, a theatrical venue where he started his career.
“That’s a homecoming too,” Armstrong said.
The other cool Alberta based story and headliner is Mump and Smoot, bringing their performance Exit, also to the Martha Cohen stage. The enjoyed big success throughout Canada and the US and now their careers have focused on teaching and mentoring.
“They wanted to do a big new show and it premiered in Edmonton a few months ago and this will be the Calgary premiere and it’s called Exit. For a couple of, let’s call them senior theatre artist, it’s an interesting theme to explore,” Armstrong said.
Mump and Smoot’s work as teachers and mentoring the next generation of physical theatre in Canada can be seen in Rat Academy, a production by Batrabbit Productions. Some of their students formed a company and created a show about the last rat standing in Alberta after the rat patrol failed to chase him down.
“It’s been a hit on the Canadian Fringe circuit for the last twelve months and they’ve been selling out most venues across the country,” Armstrong states.
This performance will also showcase a new venue, a studio theatre in Contemporary Calgary.
Another show that will be fascinating is I Don’t Even Miss You, a co production between Tiny Bear Jaws and Verb Theatre. Artist Elena Eli Belyea has created a production that is truly multidisciplinary including projection elements and filmed elements.
“Elena’s storytelling and style are just really attractive,” said Armstrong.
Armstrong last plug is for a show called Mother Nature. It’s Bhama Roget’s first time in Calgary, but her show did a twenty show run at the Edinburg Fringe Festival last year. It’s also directed by beloved theatre artist Karen Hines.
“I think that audiences are going to be magnetically attracted to [it],” Armstrong said.
You have clowns talking about an exit, Mother Nature reminiscing about the loss of those sexy dinosaurs and there are many mentions of the end of the world.
“An unwritten theme of the festival might be optimism in the face of major barriers,” he adds.
The High Performance Rodeo opens today. There are a few different ways you can learn about the festival this year. There is a new digital guide and a long form video, to make exploring easier.