One Yellow Rabbit
One Yellow Rabbit is a Calgary-based experimental theatre company and presenting organization known for original performance, international touring, and the High Performance Rodeo festival.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre is a Calgary, Alberta-based theatre company whose work combines devised performance, contemporary dance, music, multimedia, physical theatre, and influences from punk and artist-run culture. The organization operates from the Big Secret Theatre at Arts Commons and maintains a Resident Performing Ensemble that develops original theatrical works for local and touring audiences. The company began as a collective in 1982 and later consolidated into the One Yellow Rabbit Performing Ensemble. Rather than functioning primarily as a producer of conventional plays, OYR has built its identity around collaborative creation, experimentation, and performance forms that cross disciplinary boundaries. Its artistic practice has been shaped by contemporary dance, the artist-run centre movement, and punk subculture, producing work that often emphasizes physicality, visual invention, theatrical risk, and nontraditional structures. A major part of OYR’s public profile is its festival activity. In 1987 the company produced the Secret Elevator Experimental Performance Festival. The event was renamed the High Performance Rodeo in 1988 and developed into a large annual multidisciplinary festival in Calgary. The Rodeo presents theatre, dance, music, and multimedia work by Canadian and international artists, ranging from emerging practitioners to established figures. Its program has included artists and companies such as Philip Glass, Catalyst Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Laurie Anderson, Andy Jones, members of The Kids in the Hall, Les Deux Mondes, Peggy Baker, Daniel MacIvor, Patrick Graham, and the OYR Ensemble. Attendance exceeded 10,000 in 2006 and 16,000 in 2009, and the festival has subsequently reached more than 20,000 audience members annually according to the cited reference material. OYR has also developed a substantial touring history. Its productions have travelled throughout North America, Australia, Asia, Mexico, and Europe. During the 1990s, touring increased significantly, with productions including The Erotic Irony of Old Glory and Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp. Scotland’s Traverse Theatre frequently served as a starting point for international touring engagements. This touring activity helped establish the ensemble as a Canadian experimental theatre presence beyond Calgary. The company’s physical facilities expanded alongside its artistic activity. In 1995, the Secret Theatre was enlarged and became the Big Secret Theatre, improving technical flexibility and doubling seating capacity to 130. A further seating upgrade in 2002 allowed configurations of up to 249 seats, although most theatre performances used a 189-seat arrangement. OYR has therefore combined creation, presentation, festival production, and venue-based programming within Calgary’s performing-arts infrastructure. Education and artist development are another element of the organization’s work. In 1998, OYR artist Denise Clarke established the Summer Lab Intensive School of performance creation. The program brought together students from across Canada for collaborative training and creation; by 2009, it had reached its thirteenth annual edition and had graduated approximately 250 participants. The initiative extended OYR’s methods beyond its resident ensemble and supported the development of new performance-makers. The company’s history was documented in Martin Morrow’s Wild Theatre: The History of One Yellow Rabbit, published by Banff Centre Press in 2003, with introductory contributions from Ronnie Burkett and Ken Gass. Overall, One Yellow Rabbit occupies a distinctive position in Canadian theatre: it is simultaneously an ensemble, a creator of original performance, an international touring company, a festival producer, and an anchor of Calgary’s experimental performance ecosystem.
History
One Yellow Rabbit originated in Calgary in 1982 as a collective of artists interested in experimental and interdisciplinary performance. Over time, the collective developed into the One Yellow Rabbit Performing Ensemble, with a continuing emphasis on creating original work rather than relying mainly on a conventional repertory model. Its artistic language drew from contemporary dance, the artist-run centre movement, and punk culture. These influences encouraged collaborative processes, physical and visual experimentation, and a willingness to combine theatre with music, movement, multimedia, and other live-art practices. The organization’s institutional base is the Big Secret Theatre in Calgary’s Arts Commons. Its venue history reflects a gradual expansion of capacity and technical resources. In 1995, the original Secret Theatre was enlarged and renamed the Big Secret Theatre, with improved technical versatility and seating capacity increased to 130. In 2002, another upgrade allowed the venue to accommodate as many as 249 seats, although many theatre productions used a 189-seat configuration. The venue has supported both OYR’s own performances and its broader role in presenting experimental work. Festival production became one of the company’s most important contributions to Calgary’s cultural life. In 1987, OYR launched the Secret Elevator Experimental Performance Festival. The event was renamed the High Performance Rodeo in 1988 and expanded steadily in audience size, number of venues, and artistic reach. It presents theatre, dance, music, and multimedia from Canada and abroad, placing emerging artists alongside established performers and companies. Attendance passed 10,000 in 2006 and 16,000 in 2009, later reaching more than 20,000 audience members annually according to the cited account. The festival has included internationally recognized artists such as Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson, Canadian companies including Catalyst Theatre and Electric Company Theatre, and performers such as Andy Jones, Peggy Baker, Daniel MacIvor, and Patrick Graham. OYR’s own ensemble has also appeared within the festival’s programming. The company expanded its reach through touring, particularly during the 1990s. Productions such as The Erotic Irony of Old Glory and Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp travelled to audiences outside Canada. OYR toured across North America, Australia, Asia, Mexico, and Europe, and Scotland’s Traverse Theatre was frequently used as a launching point for international engagements. Touring helped connect the Calgary ensemble with international contemporary-performance networks and established the company as a recognizable Canadian experimental theatre producer. OYR also invested in the development of artists and new performance practices. In 1998, Denise Clarke founded the Summer Lab Intensive School of performance creation. The program brought approximately 20 students from across Canada together for intensive collaborative work. Its 2009 edition was identified as the thirteenth annual session, and roughly 250 participants had graduated by that point. The Lab extended the company’s creative philosophy into education and helped cultivate performance-makers beyond the resident ensemble. The organization’s history was recorded in Martin Morrow’s Wild Theatre: The History of One Yellow Rabbit, published by Banff Centre Press in 2003. The volume included prefaces by Ronnie Burkett and Factory Theatre founder Ken Gass. The High Performance Rodeo also received civic and national visibility through associations with public figures; the cited account notes that Jean-Daniel Lafond served as a patron and that he and Governor General Michaëlle Jean attended performances and hosted three Art Matters community forums during the festival. Taken together, OYR’s history is that of a Calgary collective that matured into a resident ensemble, an international touring company, a festival producer, a venue operator, and an educator. Its continuing identity rests on original creation and cross-disciplinary performance rather than on a single commercial product or franchise.
- 2009
High Performance Rodeo attendance surpasses 16,000
[1]The festival’s reported attendance exceeds 16,000, while the Summer Lab reaches its thirteenth annual edition.
- 2006
High Performance Rodeo attendance surpasses 10,000
[1]The festival’s reported audience exceeds 10,000.
- 2003
History of the company is published
[1]Banff Centre Press publishes Martin Morrow’s Wild Theatre: The History of One Yellow Rabbit.
- 2002
Big Secret Theatre seating is upgraded
[1]Further venue improvements allow seating configurations of up to 249, with many productions using 189 seats.
- 1998
Summer Lab Intensive is established
[1]Denise Clarke establishes an intensive school for performance creation serving artists and students from across Canada.
- 1995
Secret Theatre becomes the Big Secret Theatre
[1]OYR expands its venue, improving technical capabilities and increasing seating capacity to 130.
- 1988
Festival renamed High Performance Rodeo
[1]The festival adopts the High Performance Rodeo name and begins its longer-term growth as a Calgary multidisciplinary event.
- 1987
Secret Elevator Experimental Performance Festival launches
[1]OYR produces the first edition of an experimental performance festival that later becomes the High Performance Rodeo.
- 1982
One Yellow Rabbit is founded as a collective
[1]The Calgary-based performance collective that would become One Yellow Rabbit begins its work.
Products and positioning
An artist-led, experimental Canadian theatre organization focused on original ensemble creation, multidisciplinary performance, adventurous programming, and international exchange.
Theatre ensemble
Resident Performing Ensemble
OYR’s resident ensemble creates original theatrical works through collaborative and interdisciplinary performance practices. Its productions draw on theatre, movement, music, visual design, and multimedia, reflecting the company’s experimental orientation and its historical connections to contemporary dance, artist-run culture, and punk.
Multidisciplinary performance festival · 1987
High Performance Rodeo
Originally launched in 1987 as the Secret Elevator Experimental Performance Festival and renamed in 1988, the High Performance Rodeo presents theatre, dance, music, and multimedia from Canada and abroad. Its program has included both emerging practitioners and prominent international artists and companies, making it a central public platform for experimental performance in Calgary.
Artist-development and education program · 1998
Summer Lab Intensive School of performance creation
Founded by Denise Clarke in 1998, the Summer Lab Intensive brings participants together for concentrated collaborative training and performance creation. Students have come from across Canada; by the 2009 edition, the program had run for thirteen years and produced approximately 250 graduates.
Touring theatre
International touring productions
OYR tours original productions across domestic and international markets. Noted touring works include The Erotic Irony of Old Glory and Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp. The company has performed across North America, Australia, Asia, Mexico, and Europe, with Scotland’s Traverse Theatre often serving as an international launch point.
Recent events
- 2009
Summer Lab Intensive reaches its thirteenth annual edition[1]
Other
The performance-creation intensive founded by Denise Clarke reached its thirteenth annual edition and had graduated approximately 250 participants.
- 1995
One Yellow Rabbit expands the Secret Theatre into the Big Secret Theatre[1]
Other
The company expanded its theatre facilities, increasing technical versatility and doubling the venue’s seating capacity to 130.
- 1988
Secret Elevator Experimental Performance Festival is renamed the High Performance Rodeo[1]
Other
One Yellow Rabbit’s experimental performance festival adopted the High Performance Rodeo name, under which it grew into a major multidisciplinary festival in Calgary.
Sources2 sources
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