One Yellow Rabbit’s 36th annual High Performance Rodeo, is about to warm up your winter with the hottest live-performance art in the city. We sat down with Producer Oliver Armstrong to find out what’s in store at Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts. Here’s what Producer, Oliver Armstrong is excited about for the upcoming HPRodeo.

The High Performance Rodeo unlocks so many different doors in my memory that it’s sometimes hard to know which one to walk through. From Michael Green asking me to apply for a permit to burn a piano in Olympic Plaza, to hosting a visit by the Governor General, to witnessing countless virtuosic performances across the city… it’s all been intense fun mixed with meaningful live experiences. Stepping into the role of Festival Producer, I’m thrilled to continue engaging and learning with the Rabbits, and Artistic Director Blake Brooker. Our 2022 festival offerings are unique, beautiful and timely. We have interesting new collaborations between generations of artists, several world premieres and, as always, some wild ideas to keep you warm during the coldest nights of the winter.

This year’s 10–Minute Play Festival (January 18) will prove once again that creativity blooms here, as we open our three weeks of programming with the annual spectacle of theatrical imagination. Six companies come together with no plan at all… except the guidelines provided to them 24 hours before opening night. Get your tickets now for this guaranteed sell-out that defines festival mayhem.

We put our queer shoulders to the wheel in the second week as we turn our own Big Secret Theatre into a drag and gender-bending extravaganza with a double header of Pearle Harbour’s Agit Pop! (January 27 – 29) and Sissy Fit: Enigmacy (January 27 – 29). Pearle (Justin Miller) is bringing us a provocative cabaret of music, political commentary and polished performance. Sissy (Brett Dahl) has a pack of misfits and magicians of the art form to extend the experience into the late-night. This will be the best week to spend your time between shows at our own Laycraft Lounge, the festival hub you always wanted where you can also experience a short virtual reality experience by our friends at Boca del Lupo and keep the conversations and festival buzz alive.

As January turns to February we have six more days of programming including a new play by Toronto playwright and performer Diane Flacks called Guilt (February 2 – 5). Diane draws on her experience as a mother to weave a darkly hilarious tale of self-sacrifice and the unshakeable monster that is guilt. In the tradition of brave solo performance, this show is a hidden gem in our lineup.

The HPRodeo would not be what it is without an offering from our own fearless creation ensemble. Gilgamesh Lazyboy (February 2 – 5) is simply beautiful. Blake Brooker, Denise Clarke, Andy Curtis, guest artist Christopher Hunt, and long-time musical collaborator David Rhymer bring this ancient epic back to life for a 2022 audience. With their trademark humour and tenderness, the ensemble commits to storytelling in a way that will please and surprise you. Looking for the antidote to the fear of death, or just some good old drama of the gods? See Gilgamesh Lazyboy.

Without you and your support, our inherently live programming would not be possible. Bundle up, put on your masks and join us. We can’t wait to see you!

For a full list of performances, events and to get tickets, go to www.hprodeo.ca.