Old Trout Puppet Workshop's OLD TROUT PUPPET WORKSHOP to Run 3/13-28

Theatre Junction and the International Festival of Animated Objects present Old Trout Puppet Workshop's Famous Puppet Death Scenes. If you've never seen this unique show, you're in for a treat. If you have, you'll enjoy it all over again, along with highly-anticipated new scenes. Playing from March 13-28, the run includes four matinees; bring the whole extended family aged 14 to 114! Contains mature themes, puppet nudity and some swearing.

First performed in 2006, the show has toured across the world, delighting a global audience with their dramatically engaging and visually stunning aesthetic. Theatre Junction Artistic Director Mark Lawes is looking forward to having this extraordinary work back at the GRAND, "Presented as part of Theatre Junction GRAND's inaugural 2006/07 season, Famous Puppet Death Scenes has gone on to be the landmark piece of one of Calgary's favourite theatre companies. We are thrilled to partner with the 7th edition of the Festival of Animated Objects to present this long-awaited return." The feeling is mutual according to Director Peter Balkwill, "We're glad to be back at Theatre Junction after all these years on the road. It gets strange on tour sometimes... It feels good to be home." The International Festival of Animated Objects is a fertile celebration of masks, puppets and all things animated.

Why do we die? Is it necessary? What is eternity? Beneath the amusing antics of Famous Puppet Death Scenes churns a mature existentialism. Through a collection of death scenes culled from a (fictional) canon of famous puppet shows throughout history, Calgary's own Old Trout Puppet Workshop has created a wickedly funny and oddly beautiful meditation on our final destiny. The Old Trouts promise to cure your fear of death - no more anxiety about difficult choices, no more dreading birthdays, no more desperate pleas for immortality through fame, art, or progeny.

Hosted by puppet Nathanial Tweak, in this hilarious yet macabre production you'll witness the absolutely best death scenes ever written, including Edward's Last Prance, from The Ballad of Edward Grue by Samuel Groanswallow, The Feverish Heart by Nordo Frot, Why I Am So Sad by Sally, DungBeetle's Lament from Flap Flap Flap, and the unforgettable Bipsy's Mistake, from Bipsy and Mumu Go to the Zoo by Fun Freddy. Famous Puppet Death Scenes will deconstruct your traumatized psyche so that death means nothing to you anymore.

When the company first created Famous Puppet Death Scenes, they had no idea it would play across the country, the US and Europe; it has now been performed in over 30 cities. For Co-director Judd Palmer, each time they do the show, it changes, "We're always testing new ideas, new moments, even entirely new scenes. It's currently being performed by a mostly new ensemble that has brought their own peculiarities and inspirations to the piece." Co-director/Puppeteer Pityu Kenderes adds, "What excites us most about the show is the constant evolution which keeps it fresh."

Founded on a ranch in southern Alberta in 1999, the Old Trouts lived communally and premiered their first show to a bunkhouse full of cowboys and Hutterites, eventually re-locating the company to Calgary. Since then, the Old Trouts have toured the world with their puppets, written and illustrated books, crafted immense sculptures, taught eager young apprentices their secrets, and made films. The Old Trouts also form half of trance-blues band, Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir.

Famous Puppet Death Scenes- Created and conceived by Old Trout Puppet Workshop & friends:

Peter Balkwill, Paul Bezaire, Don Brinsmead, Mitchell Craib, Nicolas Di Gaetano, Pityu Kenderes, Bobby Hall, Samantha Hindle, Viktor Lukawski, Judd Palmer, Stephen Pearce and Tim Sutherland.

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