Old Trout Puppet Workshop

Performing: The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan
Calgary, Alberta

The inclusion of Old Trout Puppet Workshop’s latest production, The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan, adds a very unique flavour to the list of theatre productions included in the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Utilizing puppets and human actors, this Calgary-based theatre company has been redefining the art of puppetry since 1999 with uniquely constructed puppets and innovative stories that blur the line between adult and children’s entertainment. They’ve toured throughout Canada and the USA, and have been commissioned to work on specific projects with Disney, Nickelodeon and YTV.

“Puppets are remnants of a time when humans revered gods and spirits in trees and wind; puppets communicate with an older part of us we’re not familiar with anymore,” explained Judd Palmer of Old Trout. “Children certainly get a glimpse of it, but there’s still a glimmer of the ancient ghosts that even adults can sense. That’s the beauty of puppets: they make us laugh, but also give us an odd feeling that the world might be stranger and deeper than we think.”

Old Trout Puppet Workshop was founded after its members met as summer staff at a camp in the Rocky Mountains during their months between post-secondary semesters. “We forged such great friendships that we wanted to start a venture that would utilize all of our varied talents. In the end, puppetry theatre was at the end of that equation and saved us from the rigours of adulthood,” joked Peter Balkwill, member of Old Trout.

The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan begins with the ghost of Don Juan emerging from the depths of hell after 500 years. He is forced, by Satan, to tell his life story of polygamous sin to the audience. Begrudgingly, Don Juan obliges but feels he has done no wrong. Secretly, he hopes that everybody will follow his path of universal love.

“I think it’s important to examine your assumptions about how love should work. You have to decide whether you’re for or against Don Juan, which is a way of sifting through issues in your own life,” said Palmer.

“In The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan, we’ve pushed the medium of puppetry even further by challenging what constitutes a puppet,” said Balkwill. “Audiences can expect to have their monogamous tendencies challenged and their polygamous traits put to question in a visual feast of puppetry theatre.”

For more information on Old Trout Puppet Workshop, visit their website at http://www.theoldtrouts.org/

Q&A with Old Trout Puppet Workshop

1. What is your fondest Winter Olympic memory?
I was in the US Navy and anchored in South Korea during the 1988 Calgary Olympics and started feeling a little homesick. Watching the Olympics actually eased my pain a little bit. (Peter Balkwill, Old Trout Puppet Workshop)

As a Calgarian, obviously the ’88 Olympics were big. I actually did see Eddie the Eagle jump, but not the Jamaican bobsled team. (Judd Palmer, Old Trout Puppet Workshop)

2. What is your favourite Winter Olympic sport?
I used to be a ski instructor, so the alpine events hold a special place in my heart, particularly the downhill and giant slalom. I like watching ski jumping too and always get that weird feeling in my stomach when the jumpers hit the ramp and take flight. (Peter Balkwill, Old Trout Puppet Workshop)

I’m fond of bobsledding, because of the inherent hilarity of a group of people all jammed onto a tiny sled attempting to go as fast as they possibly can. Maybe just because it reminds me of sledding as a kid; a bobsledder is trying to be really good at something you do as a kid, which is delightful to me. Puppets are like that too. (Judd Palmer, Old Trout Puppet Workshop)

Exit Maria	The Fury	The Head
The Devil

The Old Trout Puppet Workshop's "The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan" – photos: Jason Stang