The Alberta Hospital for the Insane - Who’s to say what’s real? By: Krissy Berkholtz

A passion project of puppets, mask, and absurdist care. The Alberta Hospital for the Insane was an adventure of the psyche that takes you down the twisted roads of Ponoka County to finding the truth that may lay underneath your subconscious. With a grim sense of humour and clever storytelling, Alberta Hospital had the audience cackling in the first minute, while still performing a thoughtful and introspective show that gave much food for thought. Written and performed by Calla Wright, along with her co-star, Ekeajia Vieira, Alberta Hospital was given a strong voice of vulnerability, resistance, and eventual acceptance that is both unique to the character, but familiar to many people you may share an audience with. Bringing new life to puppetry combined with mask work, Alberta Hospital strives beyond the confines of material to show all that is possible to express yourself in infinite ways, while the characters break down that same wall themselves in the show. The detailed puppet booth had a fun design that left the audience in suspense of “what will happen next” while the sound design was filling the room with eerie intricacies that made everyone fall into the puppeteers hands. The gothic undertones of the entire show heavily contributed to how much character interaction we saw in multiple forms up till the very end. As we look into the eyes of whoever we think the real puppeteer may be, this show will have you repeating “We are whatever we are. It’s better to let ourselves go mad than stay," as you allow yourself to be swept away into this puppeteer polished performance that is The Alberta Hospital for the Insane. The Alberta Hospital for the Insane runs from August 16th-24th.