Five Calgary venues to check out during High Performance Rodeo

By Sarah Sussman

The largest festival of its kind in Western Canada, High Performance Rodeo (HPR) takes over the city of Calgary every year in January for a whole month filled with edgy multidisciplinary art performances and progressive theatrical shows. The festival is produced by local theatre company One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre and features a lineup of emotive dance pieces, cutting comedic performances, fringe theatre shows and thought-provocative art installations. In 2018, HPR runs from Jan. 3 to 28.

Since the festival’s inception in 1987, HPR has partnered with many of Calgary’s most predominant venues. From the stunning new DJD Dance Centre to the infamous downtown Royal Canadian Legion #1, here are five venues to check out during High Performance Rodeo. [Image credit: istockphoto.com/Sadeugra]

This niche downtown company caters to Calgary theatre-aficionados in the downtown core in more ways than one. Located at the base of the Calgary Tower, Lunchbox Theatre presents short one-act plays during the week over the lunch hour, many of which are local. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch along or pre-purchase a meal to enjoy during the performance.

This year, check out Inner Elder, a one-woman show created by and starring Calgary actress Michelle Thrush. Thrush is best-known for her starring role in the Gemini Award-winning series Blackstone, and blends Buoffon and Indigenous Clowning in her performance in Inner Elder. The show runs Jan. 15 to 20 and 22 to 27 at the Lunchbox Theatre.

It’s no big secret that The Big Secret Theatre is the headquarters for Calgary’s One Yellow Rabbit Theatre company. Located on the Plus 15 level of the Arts Commons building, the space was initially intended as a lounge for the Arts Commons. But in 1987, One Yellow Rabbit approached Arts Commons in search of a more permanent venue for their operations. The Big Secret Theatre was leased to the company for a trial period and now serves as the permanent home base for One Yellow Rabbit rehearsals and performances.

This year, One Yellow Rabbit presents Moon, Moon, No Moon, a cabaret featuring select performances from Kids In The Hall star Bruce McCulloch and blues legend Tim Williams. The theatre only has a capacity for 190 people, so make sure you buy your tickets in advance if you don’t want to miss out.

Located inside of the Arts Commons building, the Martha Cohen Theatre is an intimate courtyard-shaped, Georgian-style theatre that has played host to many Calgary dance and theatre performances over the last few decades. In 1983, the theatre received its name when Harry Cohen, the late husband of Calgary philanthropist and arts supporter Dr. Martha Cohen, donated $1 million to the theatre in honour of his wife’s birthday.

This year, the Martha Cohen Theatre hosts former CBC broadcaster Tetsuro Shigematsu in his autobiographical one-man show, Empire of the Son. The show runs Jan. 16 to 21 and 23 to 28.

Formerly known as the Grand Theatre, Theatre Junction GRAND was built in 1912 but was slated for demolition at the end of the 2000s. Fortunately, Theatre Junction was able to fundraise enough money to save the space, which today stands as the oldest theatre in Calgary's downtown core and among the best spots in the city to catch live theatre, music and performance.

This year, the space plays host to a performance of the genre-warping and provocative MDLSX. Presented by the theatre group known as Motus, the performance was a New York Times Critic's Pick when it played at the city's La MaMa Experimental Theatre in 2016. The show is scheduled in Calgary Jan. 25 to 27.

More than a decade in the making, the DJD Dance Centre is a striking $26-million addition to the Calgary Beltline area. Housed in the 12-story Kahanoff Centre on 12th Avenue SE, the DJD Dance Centre is a long-awaited hub for Calgary’s arts and dance communities.

The Dance Centre features seven dance studios with a fluid architectural design that features high ceilings and stunning glass walls that allow for natural lighting. Passersby on the street can see into the second level studio of the building, which pulls double duty as a 230-seat performance theatre.

From Jan. 17 through 20, check out a re-imagination of the Canadian classic Salt-Water Moon, performed by Toronto theatre troupe Why Not Theatre.

From comedic shows to impressive dance showcases, HPR 2018 is set to have no shortage of dynamic performances to chase the winter blues away.