From shadow screens to sock monsters, the Festival of Animated Objects turns the city into a playground for masks, movement, and the magic of bringing things to life.<\/p>\n
From March 14\u201322, the annual festival will feature live performances, workshops, cabarets, and a slate of Incubator premieres that put fresh voices on stage.<\/p>\n
The Festival of Animated Objects\u2019 Incubator Program is a two\u2011year mentorship track that supports artists as they build a brand\u2011new full\u2011length puppet or mask performance from the ground up. It pairs creative guidance with resources and a developmental fee, finishing with work\u2011in\u2011progress showings or a premiere at the Calgary festival.<\/p>\n
Two years ago, Iv\u00e1n Guevara Garc\u00eca submitted to the Festival\u2019s Incubator soon after his first mask show at UCalgary,\u00a0La Danza de los Viejitos. Incubator invests in artists over two seasons, pairing mentorship with time and resources to build full\u2011length works. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been really helpful, because they kind of\u2026 jumpstarted my career in this path of artistry,\u201d he says. The Incubator has also opened space for a younger wave of Calgary puppeteers. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice that younger artists from our school can now start that journey themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garc\u00eda is the artist behind\u00a0Esperanza, an Incubator performance that runs March 18 and 19 as part of the festival. It is his second year and the final iteration of the show he began developing at last year\u2019s festival. The University of Calgary Fine Arts student builds from movement, mask, and the imagery of D\u00eda de los Muertos. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a big clown artist\u2026 trying to express yourself with your body,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
He grew the show out of the \u201cuniversal language of movement,\u201d pairing it with paper m\u00e2ch\u00e9 skulls and masks that feel pulled right out of the altar and into the light.<\/p>\n
The story follows an eight\u2011year\u2011old who moves through grief without realizing she has died. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo the audience knows it, but she doesn\u2019t\u2026 she is the only human character in a world of mask and puppetry,\u201d Guevara Garc\u00eca explains.<\/p>\n
It is an exploration of grief and the division of the dead and the living, through bringing lifeless objects and masks to life.<\/p>\n
Other year\u2011two works include\u00a0Twilight Glow of Romeo,\u00a0Ghost, and\u00a0La Storia, each taking a different swing at what you can do with masks and puppetry.<\/p>\n
Beyond the Incubator, the festival spreads out with family\u2011friendly stops and late\u2011night delights at over 13 locations across the city, from YMCAs to Legions to traditional theatre spaces.<\/p>\n
You can check out the full schedule at\u00a0https:\/\/www.puppetfestival.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n