Robert Lepage's Original Stage Productions - (Theatre: Theory - Practice - Performance) by Karen Fricker (Paperback)

About the Book

This book calls upon globalisation, queer, cinema, and affect studies to explore key Robert Lepage productions from 1984 to 2008, analysing the systems through which his work is produced and disseminated.

Book Synopsis

This book explores the development of Robert Lepage's distinctive approach to stage direction in the early (1984-1994) and middle (1995-2008) stages of his career, arguing that globalisation had a defining effect on shaping his aesthetic and his professional trajectory. In addition to globalisation theory, the book draws on cinema studies, queer theory, and theories of affect and reception.
Each of six chapters treats a particular aspect of globalisation, using this as a means to explore one or more of Lepage's productions. Productions discussed include The Dragon's Trilogy, Needles and Opium, and The Far Side of the Moon.
Making theatre global: Robert Lepage's original stage productions will be of interest to scholars of contemporary theatre, advanced-level undergraduates, and arts lovers keen for new perspectives on one of the most talked-about theatre artists of the early 21st century.

From the Back Cover

This book explores the development of Robert Lepage's distinctive approach to stage direction in the early (1984-94) and middle (1995-2008) stages of his career, arguing that globalisation had a defining effect on shaping his aesthetic and his professional trajectory. It combines examination of Lepage's theatre-making techniques with discussion of his work's effects on audiences, calling on Lepage's own statements as well as existing scholarship and critical response. In addition to globalisation theory, the book draws on cinema studies, queer theory and theories of affect and reception. As such it offers an unprecedented conceptual framework, drawing together what has previously been a scattered field of research.

Each chapter treats a particular aspect of globalisation, using this as a means to explore one or more of Lepage's productions. These aspects include the relationship of the local (in Lepage's case, his background in Québec) to the global; the place of individual experience within global late modernity; the effects of screen media on human perception; the particular affect of "feeling global"; the place of branding in contemporary creative systems; and the relationship of creative industries to neoliberal economies. Productions discussed include The Dragon's Trilogy, Needles and Opium, and The Far Side of the Moon.

Making theatre global: Robert Lepage's original stage productions will be of interest to scholars of contemporary theatre, advanced-level undergraduates with an interest in the application of theoretical approaches to theatrical creation and reception and arts lovers keen for new perspectives on one of the most talked-about theatre artists of the late 20th and early 21st century.

Review Quotes

'...a cohesive yet multifaceted analysis of Lepage's work. Fricker's excellent book, which will hopefully be translated into French, should be required reading in Québec and in France, where Lepage has been celebrated almost uncritically for too long.'
Canadian Theatre Review

About the Author

Karen Fricker is a theatre critic, editor, and Adjunct Professor of Dramatic Arts at Brock University