Ex Machina / Robert Lepage - The Seven Streams of the River Ota








	The Seven Streams of the River Ōta


The Seven Streams of the River Ōta © Elias Djemil-Matassov PHOTOS ORIGINAL VERSION 1994-1997		The Ōta River and its tributaries flow through the city of Hiroshima, where they separate before tumbling into the Seto Inland Sea. Among the many bridges in the heart of this delta is the Aioi. Its unusual T-shaped design (as seen from above) made it the target of the first atomic bomb dropped on humans. The seven streams of the Ōta River correspond to seven stories from 1945 to 1995 involving plagues of the second half of the 20th century: ethnic exterminations, of which the Nazi concentration camps were one of the most extreme examples; the nuclear terror that began with a blinding flash in the Japanese sky one morning in August 1945; and viral epidemics such as AIDS, which marked the end of the millennium. Moving from one story to another, a common theme emerges: the quest for meaning and peace when facing death and horror. It’s driven by characters who embrace sensuality and laughter in the face of adversity: a Hibakusha living with hidden wounds; a magician whose pitiful tricks nevertheless cheer those he is interned with; a performance artist who discovers the Middle Way in an unexpected place. And a young Western dancer who came to learn but? and now finds herself, 50 years after the bomb, contemplating Miyajima’s torii—the sacred gate that seems to float on the water of Hiroshima Bay right where the seven streams of the Ōta River come to an end. The Seven Streams of the River Ōta is a play in seven acts. Total running time: circa seven hours, with three intermissions and two pauses included. Premiere: 19 July 2019, Chekhov International Theatre Festival, Moscow, Théâtre Helikon Opéra, Moscow (RU) Directed and designed by: Robert Lepage Creative Director: Steve Blanchet Dramaturg: Gérard Bibeau Text: Éric Bernier, Gérard Bibeau, Normand Bissonnette, Rebecca Blankenship, Marie Brassard, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Normand Daneau, Richard Fréchette, Marie Gignac, Patrick Goyette, Robert Lepage, Macha Limonchik, Ghislaine Vincent Music and Sound Design: Michel F. Côté Music collaboration: Tetsuya Kudaka Directors' assistant: Adèle Saint-Amand Performed by: Rebecca Blankenship, Lorraine Côté, Christian Essiambre, Richard Fréchette, Myriam Leblanc, Umihiko Miya, Audrée Southière, Philippe Thibault-Denis, Donna Yamamoto Music performed by: Tetsuya Kudaka Set Design - original production: Carl Fillion Set Design adaptation: Ariane Sauvé Lighting Design: Sonoyo Nishikawa Image Design: Keven Dubois Costumes Design: Virginie Leclerc Props Design: Claudia Gendreau Production: Ex Machina Co-production: Festival International de théâtre A. Tchékhov, Moscow Le Diamant, Quebec The National Theatre of Great Britain, London Le Volcan, Scène nationale du Havre Schaubühne Berlin 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, le Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec et la Ville de Québec.