Catch the best of the fest in truly brilliant, startling, and hilarious works.
Come to the Cabaret for raucous short-form mask and puppetry for adults, compèred by CAOS madwoman Xstine Cook.
The Dolly Wiggler Cabaret is a fantastic way to enjoy a dazzling line up of different puppetry and mask artists in one night. Named after Ronnie Burkett’s famous term for a puppeteer, the Dolly Wiggler Cabaret acknowledge the beauty, mastery, and heart Ronnie brings to the art of puppetry.
Head to the Festival of Animated Object’s site to see what’s coming soon!
Dolly Wiggler 2023
Host Xstine is a mask maker, instigator, writer, director and producer.
After training at the Dell’Arte Physical Theatre School in Humboldt County, and with various mask makers in Bali, Italy, France, and the West Coast of Canada, Xstine founded Green Fools Theatre, the Festival of Animated Objects, and CAOS, a multidisciplinary arts organization. She writes, directs and produces collaborative award-winning independent films including a short for Sesame Street.
Cook also cracks a mean bullwhip (literally), and was recently humbled to be awarded the Arts Award by the City of Calgary, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Juanita Dawn
Ivy Voltage
Jen Bain
Jocelyn Mah & James Watson
Born and raised in Calgary, Jocelyn is a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and holds her Master of Arts in Contemporary Dance Performance from The London Contemporary Dance School (London, UK). Jocelyn has performed for numerous independent artists and companies based in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and London, UK. She’s also been a Community Program Artist with CAOS for the past two years.
James Watson started playing the violin at the age of 7, and now, since completing his Bachelor of Music (minor in linguistics), he is a full-time freelance member of Calgary’s music community, working as a teacher, mentor, composer, recording, and performing artist, with new roles lurking around every corner. Together, Jocelyn and James celebrate music and movement!
Kyle Hinton
instagram: @kyle.hintron
Kyle Hinton is a father and a multi-disciplined artist who is devoted to sound, puppetry, computer programming, and many other kinds of creative acts. He is most enthusiastic about creating worlds, telling stories, and exploring philosophy with sound, music, puppets and computers. He is absolutely fascinated by the use of technology to create art and to connect communities.
Kyle has been engaged with theatre for his entire life and has been creating miniature shows for The Suitcase Theatre Arcade for 11 years. Connecting with people with these short, 3 minute performances, is one of his passions and he has so much gratitude for everyone who shares that interest
Meghan Schech
Simmi
Puppet Stuff Canada (Brendan James Boyd and Reece Scott)
instagram @puppetstuffcanada
Elaine Weryshko
3 Peas (Jennifer LeBlanc, Adelyn Wilson, Lauren Johnsen)
Kaja Irwin
Kaja is a Winnipeg born dancer and artist who loves to explore movement and collaborations across art forms, including mask, puppetry, clown and character work, creating solo work as well as collaborating with Calgary jazz musicians developing improvised jazz pieces for the stage. Kaja is a company member with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks currently in her eighth season and also has an interest in costume design and styling and looks forward to developing that aspect of her work. She continues to enjoy finding new ways to express her creativity and play within her work.
Salt Kids Productions
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WP Puppet Theatre
Kirk Miles
Cash Finch
Mictlan Arts and Research
Mictlán Arts and Research is a mexican collective formed by multidisciplinary artists Ximena Gonzalez, Almendra Vergara and Alberto Susano. They are dedicated to disseminate and promote Mexican culture, and to create cultural bridges that allow the development of multicultural and intercultural communities. They achieve this through live performances, visual arts, workshops and artistic education projects. Their work is accessible to all school grades, parents, teachers, heterogeneous communities and cultural organizations.
Instagram: @mictlan_artists
Swill & Lavy
Hebert Poll Gutierrez
Author, playwright, storyteller, poet, and scriptwriter for Film, Radio, and TV.
I am a Cuban Canadian artist with 18 years of experience. I believe in the power of stories and theater to shape realities. Art is his strategy to defend my triple cultural identity: My identity as an artist. My identity as a Cuban. My identity as an afro-descendant
I have published nine books in several genres (poetry, theater, and short fiction). My latest book is “Whispers from the Black Gods” (Poetry)(The Elite Lizzard Publishing Company, Ontario).
Some of my writings appear in magazines and more than 20 anthologies from Cuba, Venezuela, Canada, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Germany, and other countries.
Companies from Latin America, Europe, and Canada have represented his theater scripts. I am a member of several cultural organizations. Among them, we can mention SpanicArts Calgary. ASITEJ Cuba International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People Playwrights Guild of Canada. Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS).
I was named Calgary’s Artist of the Month in December 2021 by the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI)
Tia DeLauria
Tia DeLauria is a multidisciplinary emerging artist based in Calgary, Alberta. She holds a degree in visual arts from the University of Ottawa as well as an education in digital design from Bow Valley College. Tia uses a variety of mediums to explore her relationships with the concepts of nature, feminism, imagination, and an odd sense of humour, through the miracle of storytelling and puppetry.
Instagram: @tiadelauria
