Ex Machina / Robert Lepage - The Far Side of the Moon








	The Far Side of the Moon


The Far Side of the Moon © Sophie Grenier BROCHURE PHOTOS VIDEOS		"Before Galileo turned his telescope towards its surface, people believed the moon was a polished mirror, its dark scars and mysterious contours reflections of our own mountains and seas. Much later in the 20th century the Soviets launched a probe to circle the moon. When it returned images of the hidden face of the moon, the one we can never see from earth, we were shocked to learn that there existed a pounded and scored face of the moon, wounded by countless meteors and storms of celestial debris. For many years American scientists called this the disfigured side of the moon. Perhaps this was because the features that comprise the far-side of the moon bear the names of Soviet cosmonauts, poets, and inventors. So begins the epic story of Philippe, a man coping with the recent loss of his mother, the estrangement of his only sibling, his younger brother André; and the mysterious teachings the universe holds for those brave enough to look up to the stars and ponder. Time and place are secondary to Philippe’s search for meaning in the universe and his place in it. The competition between the Soviets and Americans during the Space race, the SETI programme (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), and memories from childhood and adolescence act as touchstones for this one man show dealing with the fundamental question, “Are we alone?”. Punctuated by Laurie Anderson’s other worldly score, The Far Side of the Moon is a show which takes the audience to other worlds on the steady wings of Robert Lepage’s theatrical magic. The Far Side of the Moon concentrates on the conflict between two brothers who are trying to come to grips with the death of their mother. It is also concerned with Russian cosmonaut Leonov, confronted with the immensity of interplanetary space as he took his first steps out of the Soyouz spacecraft. It brings forth a mad but sincere project for a space elevator that would allow humans to confront the void. And it also sees a goofy but touching video recording by main characters sent out to space, in an attempt to show potential extraterrestrial viewers the poetry that sometimes hides in human daily life. Written and directed by: Robert Lepage Performed by: Yves Jacques Script consultant: Adam Nashman Artistic collaborator and project originator: Peder Bjurman Assistant to the director: Pierre-Philippe Guay Original music composed and recorded by: Laurie Anderson © 2000 Difficult Music (BMI) Assistant set designer: Marie-Claude Pelletier Assistant lighting designer: Bernard White Costume designer: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt Puppet designers: Pierre Robitaille, Sylvie Courbron Puppeteer: Éric Leblanc Set Consultant: Carl Fillion Images produced by: Jacques Collin, Véronique Couturier Audio editing: Jean-Sébastien Côté Production : Ex Machina Co-production : Aarhus Festuge; Festspillene i Bergen; Berliner Festspiele, Berlin; BITE:03, Barbican, London; Bonlieu scène nationale, Annecy; Cal Performances, University of California at Berkeley; Change Performing Arts, Milan; Cultural Industry Ltd., London; Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg; Dublin Theatre Festival; Espace Malraux Scène Nationale Chambéry-Savoie; Festival de Otono, Madrid; Festival Internacional Santiago A Mil; FIDENA, Bochum; Göteborg Dans & Teater Festival; Harbourfront Centre, Toronto; La Comète scène nationale de Châlons-en-Champagne; La Coursive, scène nationale La Rochelle; Le Manège scène nationale de Maubeuge; Le Théâtre du Trident, Québec; Le Volcan Maison de la Culture, Le Havre; Les Cultures du Travail - Forbach 2000, Forbach; Le Maillon - Théâtre de Strasbourg; Les Célestins, Théâtre de Lyon; Maison des Arts, Créteil; Northern Stage at Newcastle Playhouse; Onassis Cultural Center, Athens; Pilar de Yzaguirre - Ysarca, Madrid; Schauspielhaus Zurich; Setagaya Public Theater, Tokyo; SFU Woodward's Cultural Programs, Vancouver; Steirischer Herbst, Graz; Tallinna Linnateater; Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre; Théâtre de Namur; Teatro Nacional São João, Porto; Théâtre d'Angoulême, Scène Nationale; Théâtre de la Ville-Paris; Théâtre de Sartrouville & des Yvelines; Theatre Royal Plymouth; The Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater, New York; The Irvine Barclay Operating Company; The Lowry, Salford Quays; The Royal National Theatre, London; The Sydney Festival; TNT-Théâtre National de Toulouse; Tramway Dark Lights, Glasgow; UC Davis Presents, Davis; Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff; Wiener Festwochen, Wien Producer for Ex Machina Michel Bernatchez Associate Production - Europe and Japan Richard Castelli - Epidemic Associate Production - The Americas, Asia (except Japan), Australia, NZ Menno Plukker Theatre Agent Ex Machina is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, Quebec's Arts and Literature Council and the City of Quebec.