One Yellow Rabbit’s 31st High Performance Rodeo January 5 - February 2, 2017 Go down the rabbit hole the rabbit Go down Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts hprodeo.ca @hprodeo #hprodeo WELCOME We acknowledge the caretakers of this beautiful Treaty 7 land and Every day during January and in virtually every performance venue extend thanks to our Blackfoot, Stoney/Nakoda and Tsuu’ T’ina around the city, we bring you stories from across the country and family and neighbours for sharing it with us. We are grateful to you. around the world. Over 200 invited artists will offer you these stories; through song, dance and performance – let’s give them an One Yellow Rabbit, following a difficult two years and through the open arm and heart welcome. guidance, love and support of this tremendous Calgary community has landed squarely on its front paws and continues to contribute to After the show, come join us at the Laycraft Lounge and celebrate the health and vitality of Calgary. We are stronger because of you. The High Performance Rodeo – your International Festival of the Arts. 31 years and counting, it is truly yours to celebrate. I have the privilege of meeting artists and seeing work here at home, across the country and around the world and bring that work Come down the Rabbit hole with us. back home to share with my community in Calgary. I look for work that I hope will excite, delight, inform and sometimes even enrage this incredibly adventurous Calgary audience; work that often challenges the norm and offers up a different way of looking at the Ann Connors world. All the work in the 2017 Rodeo did all that for me. And I am Managing Director - One Yellow Rabbit excited to share it all with you. Artistic Producer - High Performance Rodeo We do know how to celebrate at the Rodeo; and as music is the voice of celebration, we open and close the festival with music to rock your world. We open, partnering with Theatre Calgary, with Songs of Resilience by Toronto’s Queer Songbook Orchestra, who cast a contemporary queer eye on popular music. And to close, One Yellow Rabbit and Arts Commons present dirtsong, a hauntingly beautiful tribute to the land by Australia’s mesmerizing Black Arm Band. Joining them are multi-instrumentalist and Calgary golden boy, Jonathan Lewis; and our own maestro, David Rhymer - It’s a must see. I am over the moon excited that the seriously talented Karen Hines has gifted One Yellow Rabbit with her latest edgy play, All The Little Animals I Have Eaten. Lucky us. And lucky you to be the first audience in the country to see this new play. I am certain you won’t be the last. Photo by Trudie Lee See pages 28-31 for full festival schedule Tickets: 403.294.9494 • Information: 403.294.7411 hprodeo.ca • @hprodeo • #hprodeo • facebook.com/hprodeo 3 ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD CONTENTS 15 OF DIRECTORS So Blue page 15 Songs of Resilience page 16 Welcome to the 2017 High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International We acknowledge our generous sponsors, media partners and public 10-Minute Play Festival page 17 Festival of the Arts! funding bodies. Your support and enthusiasm, have helped the Rodeo 16 evolve into an internationally recognized event. Thank you! 6 Guitars page 18 The Rodeo has become a Canadian classic, famous for tickling us with Brotherhood: The Hip Hopera page 19 its whimsy, challenging us with its depth and embracing us with its Lastly, we have to recognize you, the audience, who support us year inclusivity. Once again, the team has assembled an eclectic, challenging after year. Your passion for the arts not only sustains us, but inspires All The Little Animals I Have Eaten page 21 and inspiring line up. We are honoured to host Calgary’s preeminent our efforts to continue and improve. Time and time again, our visiting ProArts @ Noon page 22 theatre companies, national and international theatre companies, artists comment on the warm Calgary reception that you provide. Trace page 23 dancers, musicians and visual artists. I am confident that you will find Kudos! 18 21 something to inspire and entertain you. As I Lay Dying page 25 We look forward to meeting you at the Rodeo! Countries Shaped Like Stars page 26 As the Board of Directors, we are proud to be part of this evolving Cris Derksen Trio page 27 tradition. We’re continually inspired and humbled by the talent and Peter Kufeldt 25 drive of the creative, administrative, and volunteer teams that present Board Chair Juliet and Romeo page 32 this event every year. My Pregnant Brother/ My Playwright Sister page 33 26 Cathy Jones: Stranger To Hard Work page 34 Why We Are Here! page 35 • www.TWIGS.ca • Portraits In Motion page 36 Stephen Avenue • Calgary, Alberta Every Brilliant Thing page 37 All’s Well That Ends Well page 39 19 Landline: Calgary to St. John’s page 40 FLOWERS #boxtape page 41 By Heart page 42 Winners & Losers page 43 DÉCOR DECLARATION page 44 Mouthpiece page 47 & MORE Through The Gaze Of A Navel page 48 5-Minute Therapy page 49 41 The Plainclothes: Tapping The Audience page 50 Please Note: All information in this brochure is correct at the time of publication. One Yellow Rabbit and The High Performance Rodeo reserve the right to make alterations to the programming and cannot be Proud Supporter of One Yellow Rabbit dirtsong page 51 held accountable for cancellations, substitutions or changes. and the 2017 High Performance Rodeo See pages 28-31 for full festival schedule Tickets: 403.294.9494 • Information: 403.294.7411 hprodeo.ca • @hprodeo • #hprodeo • facebook.com/hprodeo 5 st Annual High Performance Rodeo, On behalf of Calgary Arts Development, welcome to the 31 Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts. This highly anticipated annual event is one of the best parts A WORD FROM of winter, bringing light to the dark of winter with some of the most interesting, inspiring, inciting theatre, music, dance and multidisciplinary art to be found anywhere. OUR FUNDERS We applaud the hard work of Ann Connors, Artistic Producer of the High Performance Rodeo, her team The arts: fundamental to at One Yellow Rabbit, the countless volunteers, and the sponsors and donors who make this festival our sense of belonging Art and culture are intrinsic elements of our sense of belonging possible. And you, the audiences, who complete the circle. society, to humanity itself. – to a community, a nation, a country, a At Calgary Arts Development, we believe that arts infusing the lives of Calgarians has the power to build our city. The High Performance Rodeo is a shining example of how the arts engage citizens and With their creative visions re in for a wild , their expressions of frst time, get ready–you’ a vital role in helping us hope and their enrich the artistic and creative vibrancyst edition. of Calgary. If this If isyou your have been to the festival in past years, you’ll to better understand and questioning of the status quo, artists play provoke new ways of thinking and transformationsaddress that enrich the complex the lives challenges of their fellow of our Canadians. times. be as excited as I am to take in the 31 They ride. The Canada Council for the Arts is proud to support Rodeo because for us,art is essential in pointing us, Onetogether, Yellow toward Rabbit a and brighter its High future. Performance fundamental to our sense of belonging Sincerely, The arts: Art and culture are intrinsic ele society, to humanity itself. ments of our sense of belonging – to a community, a nation, a country, a With their creative visions, their expressions of hope and their questioning of the status quo, artists play a vital role in helping us to better underst provoke new ways of thinking and transformationsand and address that enrich the complex the lives challenges of their fellow of our Canadians. times. They Patti Pon President & CEO The Canada Council for the Arts is proud to support Calgary Arts Development Rodeo because for us, art is essential in pointing us,One together, Yellow toward Rabbit aand brighter its High future. Performance year we are delighted that, through our January 2017 Syrian refugees the opportunity to experienceWelcome this to fest the Arts Further, this initiative , One Yellow Rabbit can offer Canada. ival as they embark on a brighter future in A MESSAGE FROM MAYOR NENSHI e you to the pleased to welcom Simon Brault, O.C., O.Q am . On behalf of my City Council colleagues and the citizens of Calgary, I Director and CEO st . Produced 31 Annual High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festivald of entertaining the Arts audiences has been exciting an 501, 237 – 8th Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 5C3 High Performance Rodeo of the calgaryartsdevelopment.com | 403.264.5330 For over 30 years, the , in cooperation with many of our city’s major arts by One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre nity and has grown to become one organizations, this festival has become a staple in our commu largest of its kind in Canada. To all the organizers and volunteers at the festival, thank you and for more continued vibrant support place toand live. passion for Calgary’s arts community. You make our city an even richer Sincerely, Naheed K. Nenshi On behalf of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA), I am pleased to welcome patrons from MAYOR Message from Honourable across the province and beyond to Calgary for the 2017 High Performance Rodeo.