While demonstrating the Chinese traditional art of calligraphy on large screens, the on-stage artist explains that in the West we say a picture is worth a thousand words, but of the complexity and rich multi-layered meaning of Chinese, one word equals a thousand pictures. This is the opening scene of Robert Lapage’s The Blue Dragon.
Co-commissioned by UCLA Live’s International Theatre Festival for a ten day run presented, the performance marked the North American debut of The Blue Dragon, which continues the story of the main character Pierre Lamontagne from Lapage’s award winning saga, The Dragon Trilogy.
In the story, Lamontagne leaves his home in Canada to pursue the study of art in China. Twenty years later he emerges in Shanghai, with his own art gallery and a girlfriend, the young emerging Chinese artist, Xiao Ling. When they are visited from a close college friend, ad executive Claire Forêt, the three will become forever linked.
Throughout the play, Lepage brilliantly marries traditional Chinese art, considered semi-divine in nature, with Western technology and innovation with an elegant and refined aesthetic of balance. The resulting combination is sublime. The viewer is left savoring the stunning and magical images that linger in the mind long after the encore.
Mastering many facets of the arts is perhaps what makes Lepage so unique. This director, scenic artist, playwright, actor, and film director founded his own multidisciplinary production company, Ex Machina in 1994. The Blue Dragon was co written by Lepage and Marie Michaud and performed by Ex Machina company members Lepage, Michaud, and Tai Wei Foo.
In an interview with the BBC, Lapage explains his role as leader, “I’m there more as a sounding board. I’m there as a chief boy scout of the group, but I, I don’t know how the words are, are made. I’m still, I have to give the impression that I’m also discovering the path, and it’s very important because we’re in a society that needs a lot of leadership, you know we feel our leaders are not doing their jobs, our political leaders and all that, so everybody’s kind of looking for leaders and, and of course actors who, who are discouraged by, by today’s work on the stage and all that, they’re looking for leadership, so of course I always feel when I start working on something that they’re asking of me to direct them, to tell them very precisely what to do, and I say to them well it’s only if we get lost together that we will find it.”
When asked where he gets his resilience, Lapage answered, “My life embraces a lot of fundamental Buddhist philosophies and, and I’m as I say just discovering,” he continues, “ but since I was very, very young I’ve always had a very, very difficult existence and I’ve been, you know, victim of a lot of bad luck and sarcasm and all of that so I, I guess you, you, you grow tougher and it makes you a, a tougher person and, and this whole idea in Buddhism that you know the, the most beautiful flowers grow in, in murky waters.”
Co-commissioned by UCLA Live’s International Theatre Festival for a ten day run presented, the performance marked the North American debut of The Blue Dragon, which continues the story of the main character Pierre Lamontagne from Lapage’s award winning saga, The Dragon Trilogy.
In the story, Lamontagne leaves his home in Canada to pursue the study of art in China. Twenty years later he emerges in Shanghai, with his own art gallery and a girlfriend, the young emerging Chinese artist, Xiao Ling. When they are visited from a close college friend, ad executive Claire Forêt, the three will become forever linked.
Throughout the play, Lepage brilliantly marries traditional Chinese art, considered semi-divine in nature, with Western technology and innovation with an elegant and refined aesthetic of balance. The resulting combination is sublime. The viewer is left savoring the stunning and magical images that linger in the mind long after the encore.
Mastering many facets of the arts is perhaps what makes Lepage so unique. This director, scenic artist, playwright, actor, and film director founded his own multidisciplinary production company, Ex Machina in 1994. The Blue Dragon was co written by Lepage and Marie Michaud and performed by Ex Machina company members Lepage, Michaud, and Tai Wei Foo.
In an interview with the BBC, Lapage explains his role as leader, “I’m there more as a sounding board. I’m there as a chief boy scout of the group, but I, I don’t know how the words are, are made. I’m still, I have to give the impression that I’m also discovering the path, and it’s very important because we’re in a society that needs a lot of leadership, you know we feel our leaders are not doing their jobs, our political leaders and all that, so everybody’s kind of looking for leaders and, and of course actors who, who are discouraged by, by today’s work on the stage and all that, they’re looking for leadership, so of course I always feel when I start working on something that they’re asking of me to direct them, to tell them very precisely what to do, and I say to them well it’s only if we get lost together that we will find it.”
When asked where he gets his resilience, Lapage answered, “My life embraces a lot of fundamental Buddhist philosophies and, and I’m as I say just discovering,” he continues, “ but since I was very, very young I’ve always had a very, very difficult existence and I’ve been, you know, victim of a lot of bad luck and sarcasm and all of that so I, I guess you, you, you grow tougher and it makes you a, a tougher person and, and this whole idea in Buddhism that you know the, the most beautiful flowers grow in, in murky waters.”
