Catching up with the Old Trout Puppet Workshop

On the top shelf of a dusty cabinet, a white angel sticks out its cherry-red tongue. Next to it lies an oversized shrimp and a handful of broken bits and pieces of would-be puppets.

Dubbed The Wall of Shame, this is where the Old Trout Puppet Workshop displays the half-made creations that didn’t live up to the exceptionally high standards that have kept the troupe touring across Canada, the United States and Europe for the past 11 years. “We are ascending to the demi-gods of puppetry by devoting ourselves to the quality we instill into each puppet,” says co-artistic director Peter Balkwill.

This month, the Old Trout Puppet Workshop performs The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan for Alberta Theatre Projects. As with most of the troupe’s work, the show comes with its share of thought-provoking philosophical spin. In this version, Don Juan returns from Hell to repent for his amorous ways and to warn audiences about following in his sinful footsteps. With a sermon of universal love, a chastity belt-wearing protagonist and both human actors and puppets on stage, this strange-yet-ingenious interpretation of a classic story is what the Old Trout Puppet Workshop is known for.

The Old Trout Puppet Workshop was founded by three friends — Balkwill, Judd Palmer and Pityu Kenderes — who met while they were working as summer camp instructors during university. After finishing their degrees, the trio moved to a farm, known as “The Ranch,” to live off the land, make art and avoid settling into obscure professional jobs.

In 1999, the group created the Old Trout Puppet Workshop to serve as the overarching umbrella for their artistic endeavours, which over the years have seen their puppets featured in the music video “Honey Honey” for Calgary-raised singer Feist, a series of unusual children’s books highlighting the Trouts’ signature dark imagery and the formation of an Appalachian folk band, the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir.

But despite these eclectic interests, the puppet shows have earned the troupe the most acclaim for their interpretations of classic tales, as well as their thought-provoking original works. Rooted in their own brand of philosophy, the Old Trouts have managed to broach topics with puppets that most of us shy away from — life, death, sexuality, sin, re-birth and, soon, the origins of man, are all underlying themes found in many of their productions. These guys can take the The Tooth Fairy, a classic children’s legend, and spin it into an examination of the loss of innocence, adulthood and greed, all told with a sharp sense of humour and wonderfully weird characters.

Next up on the drawing board for the Old Trouts is Ignorance, a puppet documentary scheduled to debut next year that will explore the origins of man and how humans evolved from supposedly care-free primitive beings to what Balkwill says we are today: “hideous, bliss-sucking parasites.” In true Old Trout style, the group is approaching the show from a completely new direction by posting all of their thoughts, ideas, research and videos online in a blog, and encouraging the audience to share their ideas on the direction of the show.

But don’t expect any spoilers on the Old Trout website; they’re keeping quiet when it comes to their latest venture. In fact, when pressed, Balkwill just grins and says: “It’s the truthful conjecture of what really happened … it will broaden your horizons.” —Kelsey Mulyk

Alberta Theatre Projects presents The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan March 29 to April 16. For tickets or more information visit atplive.com or call 403-294-7402.