Montreal, November 13, 2007 —
NORMAN, the show-stopper at this year’s
Quebec Scene arts festival in Ottawa andLuminatofestival in
Toronto, is coming to Place des Arts’ Cinquième Salle
this December 5 to 8 and 12 to 15
at 8 p.m. Produced by 4D art,
this new show from talented multidisciplinary artists
Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon
is a wondrous tribute to the late experimental filmmaker Norman
McLaren.
"Imaginative, ingenious, unique and, one might even add,
wondrous. […] I wanted everyone in the city to experience
this masterful fusion of live action and film.”
Globe and Mail (June 2007)
Norman’s creators, Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, show
us the breadth and depth of McLaren’s oeuvre.
Ottawa Citizen (April 2007)
Norman is so good, it almost channels McLaren back to life,
and creates fantastic theatre that makes it hard to separate from
reality -- particularly in the hands of the charismatic
Trosztmer.
Ottawa Sun (April 2007)
Created in collaboration with brilliant dancer Peter
Trosztmer, the one-man-show plunges viewers into the
fascinating world of this great pioneer of animated film. Thanks to
innovative projection technologies developed by Michel Lemieux and
Victor Pilon, NORMAN reveals the power, modernity and
humanism of Mr. McLaren’s creative genius through interviews
with his co-workers, re-created by the magic of virtuality, audio
and visual explorations, and movements that interact with the
celebrated filmmaker’s cinematic universe.
Mr. McLaren’s daring ingenuity and willingness to
experiment with multiple techniques have served as a constant
inspiration for Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. In his works as in
theirs, music, dance, live action and film merge to create
a seamless whole.
“How Norman was put together is pure genius. The
creators have had to balance information about McLaren’s life
and work with the more imaginative aspects of the Trosztmer-McLaren
interface.” — Globe and Mail
After Ottawa and Toronto, the show began an international tour
in Mexico last September, which will continue in Columbia and
Europe in the spring of 2008.
Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren (1914-1987) left his mark on film history with
an impressive body of works characterized by invention and inquiry.
Founder of the National Film Board of Canada’s animation
studio 65 years ago, this genius of the moving image made a total
of 59 films, most of which were experimental animations. Three of
his works innovate using dance and dancers. Mr. McLaren’s
films have garnered a total of over 200 international awards,
including an Oscar for Neighbours in 1952, and the Short
Film Palme d’or at Cannes for Blinkity Blank in
1955.
Lemieux-Pilon 4D art
Founded in 1983, over the years the multi-disciplinary company
4D art, which brings together the talents of artistic directors
Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, has developed
unequalled mastery of multimedia technologies through
hybrid shows that merge reality and virtuality, performing
arts and new media. Included in the company’s
impressive repertoire are Orféo (1998),
Anima (2002) and The Tempest (2005). In
addition to being the creative hub of 4D art, Lemieux and Pilon are
the masterminds behind Delirium), a show created by
the Cirque du Soleil in 2006 and currently being performed in
arenas and stadiums across Europe.
Peter Trosztmer
A graduate of Concordia University and the Toronto Dance
Theatre School, Mr. Trosztmer has worked with many Montreal
choreographers, including Marie Chouinard, José Navas, Jean
Grand-Maître and Danièle Desnoyers. He dances
regularly in video collaborations and has been with the company
Montréal Danse since spring 2003.
NORMAN (A Tribute to Norman McLaren)
is a 4D art production in co-operation with the NFB and co-produced
with Place des Arts (Montreal), the National Arts Centre’s
Quebec Scene (Ottawa), Espace Jean Legendre – Scène
conventionnée de Compiègne (France) and the Luminato:
Toronto Festival of Arts & Creativity. Choreography by
Théa Patterson and Peter Trosztmer. Costumes and stage
design by Anne Séguin-Poirier. Lighting design by Alain
Lortie; sound design by Michel Smith.
NORMAN(A Tribute to
Norman McLaren) – 4D
art
December 5 to 8 and
12 to 15, 2007, at 8 p.m.
Cinquième Salle, Place des Arts, 175
Sainte-Catherine Street West
Admission: adults $25, students $15 (taxes and
service charges included)
Information/reservations: Place des Arts box
office
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Information:
Communications Papineau-Couture
Julie Delorme
