Robert
Lepage
The Blue Dragon
Canada
Australian Premiere
Take a magical journey to
modern China for a heartwrenching love story told with
legendary Robert Lepage’s
striking theatrical vision
Versatile in every form of theatre craft, Robert
Lepage is revered around the world for his
innovative work as a director, scenic artist,
playwright, actor and film maker. His creative
and original approach to theatre has won him
international acclaim and shaken classical stage
direction to its foundations, especially through
the use of new technologies. Contemporary
history is his source of inspiration and his
groundbreaking work transcends all boundaries.
For the 2010 Festival, this legend of the theatre
returns to Australia with his stunning creation,
The Blue Dragon, an intriguing story told with
Lepage’s trademark visual mastery.
Lepage’s characters are often travellers drawn to
the revealing encounter with the other, the exotic,
the unknown. This latest work revolves around
three characters in contemporary Shanghai: the
Canadian ex-pat who runs a gallery in the city’s
art district, the young Chinese artist exhibiting at
the gallery and a Montreal ad executive in town
to adopt a Chinese baby. In the effervescent
paradox that is modern China, the collision of
these three characters brings about fundamental
changes for each.
Co-written by Robert Lepage, winner of the
prestigious 2007 Europe Theatre Prize, and
his collaborator Marie Michaud, The Blue
Dragon bears all the hallmarks of Lepage’s
original and highly visual style. His humour and
uncanny ability to see into the heart of human
relationships are stunningly rendered through the
brilliant marrying of traditional Chinese art with
modern technology and innovation.
Simple, ingenious, and ravishingly visual,
The Blue Dragon reminds us why Robert Lepage
is hailed by critics and audiences around the
world as an extraordinary creative genius.
Performed in English, French and Mandarin
with English surtitles
Written by Robert Lepage, Marie Michaud
English Translation Michael M