Robert Lepage News

The Stratford Festival is launching a film festival during this period of social isolation, offering free streaming of 12 Shakespeare productions captured as part of its Stratford Festival On Film series. The series continues April 30-May 21 with Coriolanus.

It appears the standard season-subscription model has failed across the board to provide the financial safety net individuals and institutions need to survive a global pandemic, (which is upsetting because the moderate tastes of the elite have dictated what theatres will produce for long enough that it seems we should be getting some return on that investment at this point). Theatrical staffs cannot afford to take a breath as they email ticket-holders assurances which they will later rescind and try to keep their sinking ships afloat. Aging figureheads form their mouths around new words like a?oelivestreama?? and a?oeZooma?? and pass them on to millennial assistant this-and-thats to fill in all the blanks as generation Z associate this-and-thats dig through archival images to keep social media accounts appeasing the gods of the algorithms. There is a need to be immediate. A need to be incessantly productive. A need for quantity over quality. A need to keep up. To be first. While many of us are feeling the burnout from this mad dash for constant output keenly right now, has this not been an underlying system in the theatre for a long time? 

A seven-hour piece of marathon theatre may not be everyone's cup of tea. But the demanding length of The Seven Streams of the River Ota brings with it such a dazzling array of perks that it's nearly impossible to resist the challenge of sitting through it. First performed in 1996, Robert Lepage's epic mosaic about the variegated aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima has long attained the position of a masterwork in the acclaimed Canadian auteur's oeuvre. The revival at the National Theatre reminds us with force and verve why this remains the case.

First staged at the National Theatre in 1996, Robert Lepage's masterpiece returns to London for just nine performances. Presented as part of a world tour, this new staging marks 75 years since the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Tracing survivors and their descendants across five decades, this giant theatrical journey through time and space explores the way in which a few kilograms of uranium falling on Japan changed the course of human history.

The Lowry in Salford is one of only two UK venues that will play host to Robert Lepage's acclaimed production of 887. Lepage is one of the most influential theatre makers of our time and his rare visits to the UK have become international cultural calendar highlights.

It is interesting to look at the history of art and entertainment by analyzing the innovations which have been deemed exclusively novelties and written off as fleeting trends by their contemporaries. For film, color and sound were both considered by many to be cheap gimmicks that would quickly fade out of style, within a medium that itself was sure to merely exist for a brief moment in time. Yet, in the 21st century, we still praise the brilliant color work in movies by Wes Anderson and exalt the sounds in the works of Paul Thomas Anderson. When we look, however, at 3-D technologies ranging from the two-tone glasses technology from vintage cinemas, to warped screens which became popular with the release of Oklahoma! (explaining some of the bizarre cinematic sequences in that movie), to those distorted selfies your friend just figured out how to post on Facebook, none seem to have found a lasting hold beyond trendiness or novelty entertainment. Slightly different, though sharing some characteristics, virtual reality technology is gradually developing into a tool which may be the next lasting innovation in entertainment. While the development of the technology has mostly been pounced upon by the video game industry, the theatre and film worlds have found ways to benefit from and expand the possibilities of what audiences can engage with inside a pair of high-tech glasses. Notably, Robert LePage's company, Ex Machina, created an interactive, virtual experience called The Library at Night which let audiences roam through real and imagined libraries, including one underwater conundrum and the Library at Alexandria as it burned.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today unveiled the 2020/21 season which builds on the company's commitment to create new works, attract the best artists in the world and showcase the company on the international stage. The season features the world premiere of MADDADDAM, a new full-length ballet by the multi-award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor in collaboration with internationally renowned writer Margaret Atwood. Additional highlights include the North American premiere of Victoria, created by acclaimed choreographer Cathy Marston, and a guest appearance by San Francisco Ballet in its Toronto debut. The National Ballet will tour to London and Ottawa. #2021SeasonNBC

Theatre Makers Matt Miller and Peader Kirk have come together to co-create a solo theatre performance, FITTING, drawing on spoken-word storytelling, autobiographical accounts and physical theatre to explore themes of identity and belonging.

Goodwill Cultural Ambassador Ronald Rand, recently returned from performing at Nairobi's National Theatre in The Kenya International Theater Festival, will celebrate his 20th year of touring, performing his celebrated solo play, LET IT BE ART! in a special performance presented by Tennessee Valley Art Association (TVAA) at The Ritz Theatre's Ritz Studio in Sheffield, Alabama on February 29th.

The cast of Nottingham Playhouse's upcoming hysterical comedy Moonlight and Magnolias has been revealed - and it includes Coronation Street and EastEnders star Joe Alessi.

Saturday afternoon saw the return of Berlioz's DAMNATION OF FAUST to the Met, not seen there since 2009. Because of logistical considerations it was mounted in concert form on the stage rather than in Robert Lepage's previous staging. The concert style proved to be an extremely effective format for what Berlioz called a 'legende dramatique', a work that did not neatly fit into either the opera or oratorio category.

Royal & Derngate Northampton and York Theatre Royal, in association with Oxford Playhouse, today announced that their world premiere of Alone in Berlin, translated and adapted for the stage by Alistair Beaton from Hans Fallada's acclaimed novel, will feature illustrations by Jason Lutes, from his epic graphic novel Berlin and songs by Orlando Gough performed by cabaret singer Jessica Walker.

Celebrating 50 years of 'Bringing Dance to Life' in New Orleans, the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) continues its golden anniversary year with a glittering, star-studded 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m., at the Mahalia Jackson Theater.

The National Theatre has announced its upcoming lineup for December 2019 - June 2020.

Sara Koviak, Francesco Andolfi, and James B Kennedy - all alumni of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity - will star in Jose Rivera's new play, Lovesong (Imperfect) running February 8 - 22 at The Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E 14th Street, New York City. Previews are Sat, 2/8 @ 7:30 p.m.; Sun, 2/9 @ 5 p.m.; Mon, 2/10 @ 7:30 p.m.; Tues, 2/11 @ 7:30 p.m.; opening Sat, 2/15 @ 7:30 p.m.; and running Sun, 2/16 @ 5 p.m.; Mon, 2/17 @ 7:30 p.m.; Tues, 2/18 @ 7:30 p.m.; closing on Sat, 2/22 @ 7:30 p.m.

Theatre Makers Matt Miller and Peader Kirk have come together to co-create this solo theatre performance drawing on spoken-word storytelling, biographical accounts and physical theatre to explore themes of identity and belonging. Their new show FITTING will tour UK theatres from November 2019 to Spring 2020.

The Board of Directors of The National Ballet of Canada today announced that Karen Kain will retire as Artistic Director in January 2021 and will be named Artistic Director Emeritus.

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced that Greta Hodgkinson will retire as Principal Dancer in 2020 after a remarkable career that spans 30 years. Ms. Hodgkinson will dance the title role in Giselle and appear in Petite Mort in November as well as The Nutcracker in December. Her final performance as Principal Dancer will be the seminal role of Marguerite in Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand, acquired in her honour by Ms. Kain and the National Ballet, which makes its company premiere during the Winter Season February 29 a?" March 7, 2020.

The National Theatre has announced its productions on-sale for October 2019 a?' March 2020

The Stratford Festival's newest films are coming to CBC and CBC Gem. Shakespeare's Coriolanus will air on August 25 and The Tempest on September 15, at which time they will also be available on the free CBC Gem streaming series.