Robert Lepage
Encyclopedia
Robert Lepage, is a playwright, actor, film director, and stage director from Québec City
, Québec
, and is one of Canada
's most honoured theatre artists.
, which caused complete hair loss over his whole body. As a teenager he struggled with depression, and turned to drama
classes to conquer his shyness.
Between 1975 and 1978, he studied theatre at Québec City's Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique. He subsequently participated in workshops at Alain Knapp's theatre school in Paris
, France
.
After coming back to Québec City, he wrote, directed and played in a few independent productions and joined Théâtre Repère in 1982. With that company, he created Circulations (1984), which was presented across Canada and won an award as best Canadian production during La Quinzaine Internationale de Théâtre de Québec. The following year, he created The Dragons' Trilogy and immediately received international recognition. Vinci (1986), Polygraphe (1987–1990) and Tectonic Plates (1988–1990) followed and were also toured around the world.
He was the artistic director of the National Arts Centre
's Théâtre français in Ottawa
from 1989 to 1993, and continued to stage plays. His productions of Needles and Opium, Coriolanus
, Macbeth
, The Tempest
and A Midsummer Night's Dream
were all created in that period.
In 1994, Lepage founded Ex Machina, a multidisciplinary production company, for which he is artistic director
. Lepage and Ex Machina have toured numerous productions internationally to critical and popular acclaim, most notably The Seven Streams of the River Ota (1994) and Elsinore (1995). Lepage was invited in 1994 to direct August Strindberg
's A Dream Play
at Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, Sweden. It premiered in the fall of 1994 and guest played in the spring of 1995 in Glasgow Scotland. Geometry of Miracles (1998) and The Far Side of the Moon , a solo show in which he juxtaposed the Cold War competition of the Americans and the Soviets in the Space Race with the story of two Québécois brothers—one straight, one gay—and their competitive relationship after their mother's death. It went to win numerous awards, including four trophies at le Gala des Masques, a Time Out Award and the prestigious Evening Standard Award. The Far Side of the Moon was adapted by Lepage—who plays both brothers—into a critically acclaimed 2003 film of the same name.
Lepage has directed four other feature films: Le Confessionnal (1995), Le Polygraphe (1997), Nô (1998) and Possible Worlds (2000), and has acted in films by other directors, notably Jésus de Montréal (1989) and Stardom (2001) by Denys Arcand
.
He has also been involved in music productions, being the stage director for the critically acclaimed Secret World Tour by Peter Gabriel
in 1993-1994, and the subsequent Growing Up tour in 2003-2004. He proved to be as gifted in opera
as in theatre, staging Bluebeard's Castle
and Erwartung
at the Canadian Opera Company
, The Damnation of Faust
in Japan
and Paris
, and Lorin Maazel
's 1984
at Covent Garden
's Royal Opera House
in London
in 2005. Finally, Cirque du Soleil
asked him to create the permanent Las Vegas show named Kà
at the MGM Grand
in 2005.
The Andersen Project, his last solo play inspired by the life and works of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen
and his tale 'The Dryad', is set to have a long and prosperous life, similar to The Far Side of the Moon; it received many international prizes and, after being presented by Lepage himself in more than ten countries, is currently starring Yves Jacques
who did the same in the past for The Far Side of the Moon.
Lipsynch, his large canvass work, premiered in its first version in Newcastle upon Tyne
's Northern Stage in February 2007 in its 5 hours version; it is now 9 hours long. He also staged Igor Stravinsky
's The Rake's Progress
, which was presented in Brussels
Opéra de la Monnaie in April 2007 and San Francisco War Memorial Opera House in November 2007.
Recent projects also include The Image Mill, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Québec City. For forty nights, residents and visitors could see the biggest outdoor architectural projection ever made in the world. In forty minutes, Robert Lepage and Ex Machina celebrated four centuries of human and materiel development right where the river narrows, on the banks of Bassin Louise, using the huge surface of the Bunge grain elevators as a giant screen. More than an historic tableau, The Image Mill is a light-hearted and lively illustration in three dimensions of the city's past, present and future. It is a mosaic of icons, sounds and ideas covering four great epochs in the progress of Québec City:
The first presentation of this original, larger than life portrait of Québec City took place at sundown on June 20, 2008, the evening of the summer solstice. It was planned at first that the show would be projected every evening until July 29, 2008. But because of its success, the projection was extended till the end of August and was extended again to September 8, 2008. The soundtrack was broadcast simultaneously on CKIA-FM and all of this free of charge. The Image Mill was again presented in 2009, with a few improvements and new material.
In November 2008, Lepage directed a staged version of Hector Berlioz
' The Damnation of Faust at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York. On February 25, 2009, Robert Lepage premiered a new work entitled Eonnagata at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, UK. He has worked on this alongside the dancers Sylvie Guillem
and Russell Maliphant
, fashion designer Alexander McQueen
, lighting designer Michael Hulls and sound designer Jean-Sébastien Côté
.
His production of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress
, conducted by Christopher Hogwood
, was re-released at the Teatro Real
, Madrid
in January 2009.
In spring 2009, Lepage presented The Blue Dragon (Le Dragon Bleu), a sequel to his successful Dragons' Trilogy, in which he reprised (more than twenty years later) the role of Pierre Lamontagne, a Québécois artist who lives in China.
In fall 2009, Robert Lepage directed The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, an operatic staging of short works by Stravinsky blending hand shadow puppetry, Kabuki theatre, Chinese opera and Vietnamese water puppetry. The Canadian Opera Company
in Toronto premiered the work. Lepage is currently working on Totem
, Cirque du Soleil
's next touring show, as well as on a new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen
by Richard Wagner
for the Metropolitan Opera
of New York. The series is being presented in installments during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons - Das Rheingold
and Die Walkure
were premiered during the 2010-2011 season, Siegfried
premiered on October 27, 2011, and Gotterdammerung
is scheduled to premiere later in the 2011-2012 season. The Metropolitan Opera had to install steel reeinforcements under the stage in order to support LePage's roughly 45 tonne stage, as famously reported by the New York Times.
In 2012, audiences will see him in Martin Villeneuve's Mars et Avril
, a science fiction
film based on the graphic novels of the same name.
"for his particularly imaginative and innovative work". In 1999, he was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec
. In 2001 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
. He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2009 "for his international contributions to the performing arts, particularly in film, theatre and opera, as an actor, producer and director".
On April 29, 2007, he was awarded the European Commission
's Europe Theatre Prize for 2007. The honours were to be shared between Lepage and German stage director Peter Zadek
, but Zadek did not show up and was not awarded the prize.
In 2009, Lepage received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. He could not attend the ceremony but accepted the award via a pre-recorded speech.
He was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction
for his films Le Polygraphe, Possible Worlds
, and The Far Side of the Moon. He won the award for his film Le Confessional
.
He was nominated for the Jutra Award
for Best Direction for his film Nô
. He won the Special Jutra Award for his film Possible Worlds
.
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and is one of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's most honoured theatre artists.
Life and work
Lepage was raised in Québec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopeciaAlopecia
Alopecia means loss of hair from the head or body. Alopecia can mean baldness, a term generally reserved for pattern alopecia or androgenic alopecia. Compulsive pulling of hair can also produce hair loss. Hairstyling routines such as tight ponytails or braids may induce Traction alopecia. Both...
, which caused complete hair loss over his whole body. As a teenager he struggled with depression, and turned to drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
classes to conquer his shyness.
Between 1975 and 1978, he studied theatre at Québec City's Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique. He subsequently participated in workshops at Alain Knapp's theatre school in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
After coming back to Québec City, he wrote, directed and played in a few independent productions and joined Théâtre Repère in 1982. With that company, he created Circulations (1984), which was presented across Canada and won an award as best Canadian production during La Quinzaine Internationale de Théâtre de Québec. The following year, he created The Dragons' Trilogy and immediately received international recognition. Vinci (1986), Polygraphe (1987–1990) and Tectonic Plates (1988–1990) followed and were also toured around the world.
He was the artistic director of the National Arts Centre
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre is a centre for the performing arts located in Ottawa, Ontario, between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal...
's Théâtre français in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
from 1989 to 1993, and continued to stage plays. His productions of Needles and Opium, Coriolanus
Coriolanus (play)
Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.-Characters:*Caius Martius, later surnamed Coriolanus...
, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
and A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
were all created in that period.
In 1994, Lepage founded Ex Machina, a multidisciplinary production company, for which he is artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
. Lepage and Ex Machina have toured numerous productions internationally to critical and popular acclaim, most notably The Seven Streams of the River Ota (1994) and Elsinore (1995). Lepage was invited in 1994 to direct August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
's A Dream Play
A Dream Play
A Dream Play was written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg's most admired and influential dramas, seen as an important precursor to both dramatic Expressionism and Surrealism.-Plot:The primary...
at Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, Sweden. It premiered in the fall of 1994 and guest played in the spring of 1995 in Glasgow Scotland. Geometry of Miracles (1998) and The Far Side of the Moon , a solo show in which he juxtaposed the Cold War competition of the Americans and the Soviets in the Space Race with the story of two Québécois brothers—one straight, one gay—and their competitive relationship after their mother's death. It went to win numerous awards, including four trophies at le Gala des Masques, a Time Out Award and the prestigious Evening Standard Award. The Far Side of the Moon was adapted by Lepage—who plays both brothers—into a critically acclaimed 2003 film of the same name.
Lepage has directed four other feature films: Le Confessionnal (1995), Le Polygraphe (1997), Nô (1998) and Possible Worlds (2000), and has acted in films by other directors, notably Jésus de Montréal (1989) and Stardom (2001) by Denys Arcand
Denys Arcand
Georges-Henri Denys Arcand, is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. He has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions...
.
He has also been involved in music productions, being the stage director for the critically acclaimed Secret World Tour by Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
in 1993-1994, and the subsequent Growing Up tour in 2003-2004. He proved to be as gifted in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
as in theatre, staging Bluebeard's Castle
Bluebeard's Castle
Duke Bluebeard's Castle is a one-act opera by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The libretto was written by Béla Balázs, a poet and friend of the composer. It is in Hungarian, based on the French fairy tale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault...
and Erwartung
Erwartung
Erwartung , Op.17 is a one-act opera by Arnold Schoenberg to a libretto by Marie Pappenheim. Composed in 1909, it was not premiered until June 6, 1924 in Prague conducted by Alexander Zemlinsky with Marie Gutheil-Schoder as the soprano. The work takes the unusual form of a monologue for solo...
at the Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
, The Damnation of Faust
The Damnation of Faust
La damnation de Faust , Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a "légende dramatique"...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Lorin Maazel
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...
's 1984
1984 (opera)
1984 is an opera composed by the American conductor Lorin Maazel, with a libretto by J.D. McClatchy and Thomas Meehan. The opera is based on George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. It premiered on 3 May 2005 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in a production directed by Robert...
at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
's Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 2005. Finally, Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
asked him to create the permanent Las Vegas show named Kà
Ka
-Language:* Ka * Ka * Georgian language, ISO 639-1 code ka* A glyph in the Brahmic family of scripts-Media and entertainment:* Ka * Kà, a Cirque du Soleil show* Mister Mosquito, a video game, known in Japan as Ka...
at the MGM Grand
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
in 2005.
The Andersen Project, his last solo play inspired by the life and works of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
and his tale 'The Dryad', is set to have a long and prosperous life, similar to The Far Side of the Moon; it received many international prizes and, after being presented by Lepage himself in more than ten countries, is currently starring Yves Jacques
Yves Jacques
Yves Jacques is a Québécois actor.- Biography :Since 2001, he has toured the world in two shows by Robert Lepage, La face cachée de la lune and Le Projet Andersen, where he played all the roles....
who did the same in the past for The Far Side of the Moon.
Lipsynch, his large canvass work, premiered in its first version in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
's Northern Stage in February 2007 in its 5 hours version; it is now 9 hours long. He also staged Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's The Rake's Progress
The Rake's Progress
The Rake's Progress is an opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings A Rake's Progress of William Hogarth, which Stravinsky had seen on May 2, 1947, in a Chicago...
, which was presented in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
Opéra de la Monnaie in April 2007 and San Francisco War Memorial Opera House in November 2007.
Recent projects also include The Image Mill, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Québec City. For forty nights, residents and visitors could see the biggest outdoor architectural projection ever made in the world. In forty minutes, Robert Lepage and Ex Machina celebrated four centuries of human and materiel development right where the river narrows, on the banks of Bassin Louise, using the huge surface of the Bunge grain elevators as a giant screen. More than an historic tableau, The Image Mill is a light-hearted and lively illustration in three dimensions of the city's past, present and future. It is a mosaic of icons, sounds and ideas covering four great epochs in the progress of Québec City:
- The age of waterways and exploration
- The age of roads and settlement
- The age of railroads and development
- The age of air travel and communication
The first presentation of this original, larger than life portrait of Québec City took place at sundown on June 20, 2008, the evening of the summer solstice. It was planned at first that the show would be projected every evening until July 29, 2008. But because of its success, the projection was extended till the end of August and was extended again to September 8, 2008. The soundtrack was broadcast simultaneously on CKIA-FM and all of this free of charge. The Image Mill was again presented in 2009, with a few improvements and new material.
In November 2008, Lepage directed a staged version of Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
' The Damnation of Faust at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York. On February 25, 2009, Robert Lepage premiered a new work entitled Eonnagata at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, UK. He has worked on this alongside the dancers Sylvie Guillem
Sylvie Guillem
Sylvie Guillem CBE is a French ballet dancer. She was the top-ranking female dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet from 1984 to 1989, before becoming a principal guest artist with the Royal Ballet in London. She is currently performing contemporary dance as an Associate Artist of London's Sadler's...
and Russell Maliphant
Russell Maliphant
Russell Maliphant is a British choreographer who trained at the Royal Ballet School and graduated into Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet before leaving to pursue a career in independent dance. As a performer Maliphant worked with companies such as DV8 Physical Theatre, Michael Clark & Company, Laurie...
, fashion designer Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
, lighting designer Michael Hulls and sound designer Jean-Sébastien Côté
Jean-Sebastien Cote
Jean-Sébastien Côté is a musician and sound designer based in Montreal, Canada. Originally a percussionist and accompanist for modern dance, he became interested in composing in the early 1990s and began collaborating with various choreographers in Quebec City.Since 1999, he has been working with...
.
His production of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress
The Rake's Progress
The Rake's Progress is an opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings A Rake's Progress of William Hogarth, which Stravinsky had seen on May 2, 1947, in a Chicago...
, conducted by Christopher Hogwood
Christopher Hogwood
Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood CBE, MA , HonMusD , born 10 September 1941, Nottingham, is an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer and musicologist, well known as the founder of the Academy of Ancient Music.-Biography:...
, was re-released at the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in January 2009.
In spring 2009, Lepage presented The Blue Dragon (Le Dragon Bleu), a sequel to his successful Dragons' Trilogy, in which he reprised (more than twenty years later) the role of Pierre Lamontagne, a Québécois artist who lives in China.
In fall 2009, Robert Lepage directed The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, an operatic staging of short works by Stravinsky blending hand shadow puppetry, Kabuki theatre, Chinese opera and Vietnamese water puppetry. The Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
in Toronto premiered the work. Lepage is currently working on Totem
Totem (Cirque du Soleil)
Totem is a touring show by Cirque du Soleil which premiered in Montréal on April 22, 2010. It was created and directed by previous collaborator Robert Lepage...
, Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
's next touring show, as well as on a new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
by Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
for the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
of New York. The series is being presented in installments during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons - Das Rheingold
Das Rheingold
is the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
and Die Walkure
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
were premiered during the 2010-2011 season, Siegfried
Siegfried (opera)
Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner. It received its premiere at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 16 August 1876, as part of the first complete performance of The Ring...
premiered on October 27, 2011, and Gotterdammerung
Götterdämmerung
is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen...
is scheduled to premiere later in the 2011-2012 season. The Metropolitan Opera had to install steel reeinforcements under the stage in order to support LePage's roughly 45 tonne stage, as famously reported by the New York Times.
In 2012, audiences will see him in Martin Villeneuve's Mars et Avril
Mars et Avril (film)
Mars et Avril is a Canadian science fiction film, currently in post-production, starring Jacques Languirand, Caroline Dhavernas, Paul Ahmarani and Robert Lepage. The feature film, based on the graphic novels of the same name, is written, produced and directed by Martin Villeneuve.Almost entirely...
, a science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film based on the graphic novels of the same name.
Plays
- Le Dragon bleu (The Blue Dragon)
- Lipsynch
- Le Projet Andersen (The Andersen Project)
- Busker's Opera
- La Face cachée de la lune (The Far Side of the Moon)
- La Casa Azul
- Zulu Time
- La Tempête (The Tempest)
- La Géométrie des miracles (Geometry of Miracles)
- Les Sept Branches de la Rivière Ota (The Seven Streams of the River Ota)
- Elseneur (Elsinor)
- Les Aiguilles et l'Opium (Needles and Opium)
- Les Plaques tectoniques (Tectonic Plates)
- La Trilogie des Dragons (The Dragons' Trilogy)
- Le Polygraphe (Polygraph)
- Vinci
- Circulations
- Eonnagatta
Actor
- 1989: Jésus de Montréal
- 1990: Ding et Dong le film
- 1991: Montréal vu par...
(segment "Desperanto") - 1992: Tectonic Plates
- 1994: Bad Blood (aka Viper)
- 2000: Stardom
- 2003: The Far Side of the Moon
- 2004: L'Audition
- 2006: No-Vacancy
- 2006: Dans les villes
- 2007: La belle empoisonneuse
- 2012: Mars et AvrilMars et Avril (film)Mars et Avril is a Canadian science fiction film, currently in post-production, starring Jacques Languirand, Caroline Dhavernas, Paul Ahmarani and Robert Lepage. The feature film, based on the graphic novels of the same name, is written, produced and directed by Martin Villeneuve.Almost entirely...
(post-production)
Writer
- 1992: Tectonic Plates
- 1995: Le ConfessionalLe ConfessionalThe Confessional is a 1994 mystery / drama film directed by Robert Lepage.The film is set in Quebec City, in two distinct time periods. In the present day, Pierre Lamontagne searches for his brother Marc to help unravel a family mystery...
- 1997: Le Polygraphe
- 1998: NôNô (film)Nô is a 1998 film by director Robert Lepage. It was based on one segment in Lepage's play Seven Streams of the River Ota.The title is a pun which reflects the film's dramatic structure, linking the 1980 Quebec referendum to Japanese Nō theatre.-Plot:The film is set in 1970 at the height of the FLQ...
- 2000: Possible WorldsPossible Worlds (film)Possible Worlds is a 2000 Canadian film adaptation of the play of the same name. The film is directed by Robert Lepage, and stars Tom McCamus and Tilda Swinton...
- 2003: The Far Side of the Moon
Director
- 1995: Le ConfessionalLe ConfessionalThe Confessional is a 1994 mystery / drama film directed by Robert Lepage.The film is set in Quebec City, in two distinct time periods. In the present day, Pierre Lamontagne searches for his brother Marc to help unravel a family mystery...
- 1997: Le Polygraphe
- 1998: NôNô (film)Nô is a 1998 film by director Robert Lepage. It was based on one segment in Lepage's play Seven Streams of the River Ota.The title is a pun which reflects the film's dramatic structure, linking the 1980 Quebec referendum to Japanese Nō theatre.-Plot:The film is set in 1970 at the height of the FLQ...
- 2000: Possible WorldsPossible Worlds (film)Possible Worlds is a 2000 Canadian film adaptation of the play of the same name. The film is directed by Robert Lepage, and stars Tom McCamus and Tilda Swinton...
- 2003: The Far Side of the Moon
Honours
In 1994, he was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
"for his particularly imaginative and innovative work". In 1999, he was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
. In 2001 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame , located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians...
. He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2009 "for his international contributions to the performing arts, particularly in film, theatre and opera, as an actor, producer and director".
On April 29, 2007, he was awarded the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
's Europe Theatre Prize for 2007. The honours were to be shared between Lepage and German stage director Peter Zadek
Peter Zadek
Peter Zadek was a German theatre and film director, play translator and screenwriter and is regarded as one of the greatest directors in German-speaking theater. He was the head of the Schauspielhaus Bochum, Bochum , the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg and the Berliner Ensemble from 1992 to 1996...
, but Zadek did not show up and was not awarded the prize.
In 2009, Lepage received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. He could not attend the ceremony but accepted the award via a pre-recorded speech.
He was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction
Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction
The Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian film director.-1st Genie Awards:*Bob Clark, Murder by Decree*Peter Carter, Klondike Fever...
for his films Le Polygraphe, Possible Worlds
Possible Worlds (film)
Possible Worlds is a 2000 Canadian film adaptation of the play of the same name. The film is directed by Robert Lepage, and stars Tom McCamus and Tilda Swinton...
, and The Far Side of the Moon. He won the award for his film Le Confessional
Le Confessional
The Confessional is a 1994 mystery / drama film directed by Robert Lepage.The film is set in Quebec City, in two distinct time periods. In the present day, Pierre Lamontagne searches for his brother Marc to help unravel a family mystery...
.
He was nominated for the Jutra Award
Jutra Award
The Jutra Award is a Canadian annual cinema award that recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in the province of Quebec...
for Best Direction for his film Nô
Nô (film)
Nô is a 1998 film by director Robert Lepage. It was based on one segment in Lepage's play Seven Streams of the River Ota.The title is a pun which reflects the film's dramatic structure, linking the 1980 Quebec referendum to Japanese Nō theatre.-Plot:The film is set in 1970 at the height of the FLQ...
. He won the Special Jutra Award for his film Possible Worlds
Possible Worlds (film)
Possible Worlds is a 2000 Canadian film adaptation of the play of the same name. The film is directed by Robert Lepage, and stars Tom McCamus and Tilda Swinton...
.
Further reading
- Patrick Caux & Bernard Gilbert. EX MACHINA: Creating for the Stage. Talonbooks, 2009. ISBN 978-0-88922-617-3
- Dundjerovic, Aleksandar: The Cinema of Robert Lepage. The poetics of memory, Walflower Press, 2003; ISBN 1-903364-33-7
- Dundjerovic, Aleksandar: The Theatricality of Robert Lepage, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007; ISBN 978-0-7735-3251-9