Article content“We do plague the singers,” jokes Balkwill. “We incorporate them into the design and the manipulation of the puppet. It’s a beautiful thing when you have a willing artist, who has trained themselves to a level of virtuosity to be able to sing in a superhuman way, and suggest ‘Hey, let’s complement something that is almost impossible to complement and let’s see where your child-like essence rises to play and manipulate and work within this puppet that we are providing for you to be as significant as your voice.’ In most cases, and most certainly the case of the Calgary Opera version we are working on, the singers dig right in, and they discover a sense of joy in it. Initially, it’s a bit of a burden, but once you get through the learning curve of it and you find your intuitive nature of working with a puppet, the singers do find delight in it. It’s the kind of delight that speaks to that child-likeness in all of us.”