Object of Divinity

Ok, i am not sure what i watched with this. The odd puppetry threw me off. I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be people or not. It was just weird. And i don't think i know how to rate this properly. Weird/5?

I will preface by saying that I am someone who gravitates towards avant-gard, experimental art and music. I also love puppetry as an art form and storytelling medium. So, I was not put off by the “weirdness” of this show. I also saw their show, “The Alberta Hospital for the Insane” last year and loved it so I was really looking forward to this.

That said, this didn’t work for me despite trying really hard to get into it. I admire their ambition but I was struggling to see what they were going for. I think the biggest issue for me was that the experimental electronic music soundtrack, which I loved in concept, seemed disconnected from the performance. It did not seem to follow what was happening at all and kind of felt like there were just two separate performances happening at once. I found it very distracting and it made it really hard for me to pay attention to what was being said. I would have hoped for some music that complemented the dialogue, changed tracks with scene changes, etc.

I did love the last two minutes and the music worked really well for that. I would have happily watched a whole hour of that.

I will continue to pay attention to what these young artists do and will see their show next year if they have one. I hope they continue to grow as artists because there is a lot of creativity there.

Soooo Fringe!!! This show is what would happen if Salad Fingers and Nine Inch Nails had a baby who wrote a Fringe play. I’ve seen this group’s previous work and am always weirded out on the best way. If you’re in the mood for something that only Fringe can give you, it’s this.

Object of Divinity is equal parts exciting and audacious. It is a show that doesn't hold the hand of its viewer but instead invites them to immerse completely in all the elements of its craft. This show will stay with you long after it finishes and I commend cast and crew for delivering such a truly outstanding performance.

I found this to be a challenging play. The abstract nature of it is reminiscent of outsider art. It is entirely unratable and it is an experience that I do not regret, will not forget, but would be hesitant to recommend. There is a loneliness to it.

The props are well designed and well utilized.

Fantastic soundtrack-- the mix was good during our set too between the dialogue and the soundtrack. Between the lighting and the abstract nature of the play the whole thing was deeply unsettling. Unfortunately a member of my group made a JD Vance joke near the end and I spent the quietest moment of the play suppressing laughter hard enough that I cried. There was some beautiful singing during that moment that seemed juxtapositional to the otherwise industrial soundtrack.

I will say that the play needs to have trigger warnings for dialogue that might evokes the concept of sexual assault. I don't think that was the artist's intention, but with the play as abstract as it is it is hard to avoid that link.

This show was so abstract and weird! I kind of feel like I can’t categorize it into “bad” or “good” like I usually do because it defies labels—maybe the most non-binary thing a play could do.

There was a lot to like here.

I was impressed by the construction of the puppets, especially the Daniel puppet. I loved watching the many ways that this puppet got used.

The music was also wonderful. Live accompaniment is always such a treat at a Fringe show, let alone live composition, and the score was futuristic and effective.

I also loved all of The Friend’s monologues, but especially two. First, the opening monologue framing The Friend by 3 perspectives, a succinct and timeless exploration of how trans people are perceived in their communities versus by themselves. Second, a later monologue where The Friend reflects on the Daniel’s death, describing their body as vessel, as object. When they take Daniel’s body unto their own, the body that became object becoming body once again, I was shocked with joy. What queer person hasn’t dreamed of getting so close to their lover that they become one? And what trans person hasn’t viewed their body as something separate from themselves, an empty vessel that might someday be broken or transformed?

I can see why this play is so divisive. It feels more like a performance art piece you would see at a modern art museum than a play. The abstraction makes it difficult to follow without prior knowledge of The Friend’s history or cultural knowledge of trans experience. Many elements go unexplained. A lot of the experience of the play is wondering what you’re watching and what will happen next, which feels both destabilizing and riveting.

Overall, I’m glad I saw this because the parts I understand (or think I understand) I really, really loved. But this is certainly a play for a niche audience of people who are okay to witness something that doesn’t hand you all of the answers.

Found myself instantly engaged and drawn into the techno-punk, spiritual, foreboding and verging on horrific atmosphere this piece injected into a fascinating historical topic with strong relevance to current discussions of gender identity and trans rights. Calla Wright's stage presence is wonderfully provocative.

After seeing Object of Divinity we couldn't stop talking about it and walking through the different scenes. Out of all of the shows I saw this year, this one is the one with the largest debrief and discussion!

Very different from what I was expecting. Excellent sound track that helped convey a lot of the narrative. Colour/lighting/set design/sound was all well done.

I struggled a bit understanding who the characters were and the switching between them wasn't always clear. I felt like I needed a bit more context to understand the story but the soundtrack was able to convey the emotion/trajectory of the scenes.

From history, amazingly, into the world of weird puppet poetry: the enigmatic challenge of Object of Divinity.... (read the full 12thnight review)

It’s so difficult to assign a rating to this show because it is absolutely wild. It’s basically an abstract theology lesson set to industrial beats, with paper-mâché “objects” standing in for characters.

I would highly, highly, highly recommend doing two things before seeing this show: 1) go online and figure out which objects represent which characters (the playwrights have details on Instagram), and 2) read up extensively on the history of the Public Universal Friend. The show offers little to no overview of the Friend’s life, so if you’re unfamiliar with the story, you’re in for one of the strangest experiences of your life. I enjoyed it personally, even as I felt myself lost through much of it.

This show is what I love about Fringe! These artists took a big risk on their show and I think it works remarkably well! If you like experimental theatre and enjoyed that kind of show, this is for you.

Did I understand the story? No. Do I care? Also no. Go into this show with an eye for the little details and you'll really enjoy what they have crafted. The design is rich and intentional, and I'm quite inspired!

I would have loved just a bit more narrative clarity at some point to guide us, but I was fine without it. I would have loved for the lighting to be darker and more suspenseful (especially at the end) - I don't think we needed all that front lighting.

I love the constant techno DJ soundtrack and it's without a doubt the glue that binds this production together. That being said, I think it could have created even bigger shifts from one moment into another.

Would love to see this team come together in the future on another project.

Public Universal Friend is a fascinating historical figure, and I was really excited to see that there was a show about the Friend at Fringe this year.

This is an ambitious and compelling piece, especially if you're a fan of abstract theater, but I came away thinking I wished I'd learned more about the Friend through it.

The live soundscape is a really neat idea, but I found that it was too loud and interfered with the dialogue at times.

Let me be clear: - I am trans - I knew a little bit about Public Universal Friend before seeing this show - I like weird art

This was a huge let down. Absolutely no story telling is done to contextualize PUF or the people around them. It was so unclear what anyone was talking about, or even who the character speaking was. I was looking forward to watching a show teaching about queer history, but instead I got word salad with music that's way too loud.

Music is too loud venue is too cold story is too confusing

First off, the background music, was very loud, and the dialog was even louder. The loudness really grated on me. Luckily I had some ear plugs so I was able to quiet it down enough that the audio wasn't hurting my ears. I would recommend wearing earplugs if you're sensitive to loud sounds.

I really didn't enjoy watching this show, the plot didn't really make much sense. I wouldn't have even known what was happening if I didn't read the edmonton fringe website's very helpful plain language description.

I think the acting was very well done! (It was my favourite part of show!)

This is definitely a very strange experimental abstract show. If you're looking for something, really weird, and different than everything at the fringe, this is the show for you.

Object of Divinity the abstract puppet play by Calla Wright and SILKROAD is a visually poetic piece surrounding the themes of gender, religion and object-hood. With the combination of puppetry, poetry and burlesque, Object of Divinity leaves its audience with an interesting, unsettling, yet thoughtful taste in their mouths

The most striking element of this show was its underscoring from SILKROAD, from the first moments of this show to its last, SILKROAD sustained an eerie, abstract score that lured the audience in with its mystery. The underscoring heightened the gut wrenching and raw emotion in this piece, using music they were able to command both the audience and the performers within the theatre.The score fits the shows themes and intensity very well, creating an atmosphere that at times felt more important than the action itself. However, the score overpower the actors on stages, resulting in them being hard to hear and points of the plot potentially being missed by the audience.

Object of Divinity has a plot that is heavy with rich material to explore, and its abstract nature leaves lots of space for thematic interpretation. But, the large amount of symbolism and ambiguity made it difficult to nail down exactly what the production wants its audience to resonate with. While the confusion may be intentional, I occasionally found myself more focused on trying to understand the story than engaging with the ideas behind it. Still, the production’s willingness to embrace ambiguity makes it a piece that lives in your head a while leaving the theatre.