By now you’ve seen the press release announcing cirque du Soleil’s
latest touring show – AMALUNA – set to debut on the quays of Montreal
on April 19, 2012 and have seen a list of those who helped create this
new production. But just who are they and what have they done? Cirque
du Soleil’s special AMALUNA website has highlighted the careers of the
show’s creators, which you’ll find below:
Ferrnand Rainville
Director of Creation
A prolific actor and director, Fernand Rainville has been active on
the Quebec cultural scene for over 25 years. He made his mark in the
theatre world by directing over a hundred creative and repertory
theatre plays, both contemporary and classical, as well as large-scale
variety shows such as the bilingual production of Les Misérables
(1990-1991), Légendes fantastiques (which ran from 1998 to 2007 and
earned him the Quebec Tourism Prize) and Saka,an equestrian show
performed under a big top between 2007 and 2009. In television,
Fernand has worked as Artistic Director for the show Le plaisir croît
avec l’usage, which aired on Télé-Québec between 2001 and 2003. He was
also responsible for the artistic direction of the opening ceremonies
of the Outgames at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in 2006. Fernand has
been working with Cirque du Soleil on a regular basis since 2005. He
was co-director for the opening ceremony of the Montreal 2005 – XI
FINA World Championships, Director of the Cirque du Soleil pre-game
show at the 2007 Miami Superbowl, as well as Director of Creation and
Director of Wintuk, a show that ran seasonally for four years at
Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theatre in New York. For ONE DROP,
Fernand directed the multimedia experience AQUA and, during Guy
Laliberté’s journey into space in 2009, he assumed the role of Content
Producer and Artistic Director for the Poetic Social Mission event, a
show on water-related issues that was broadcast on television and the
Internet.
Diane Paulus
Director
Diane Paulus is the Artistic Director of the A.R.T. (American
Repertory Theatre). Her recent work with A.R.T. includes The
Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, a new production adapted by Pulitzer prize-
winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, and OBIE-winning composer Diedre
Murray, playing on Broadway; Prometheus Bound, a new musical inspired
by Aeschylus’s ancient Greek tragedy, written by Tony and Grammy
Award-winner Steven Sater (Spring Awakening) with music composed by
Grammy Award-winning System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian; Death
and The Powers: The Robots’ Opera, a new opera by Tod Machover in
collaboration with MIT Media Lab, which world premiered at l’Opéra de
Monte-Carlo; The Donkey Show, a disco adaptation of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, which ran for six years Off-Broadway and toured
internationally; Best of Both Worlds, and Johnny Baseball. Diane’s
other recent theatre credits include the Public Theatre’s Tony-Award
winning revival of HAIR on Broadway and London’s West End. She has
also directed Kiss Me, Kate (Glimmerglass Opera) and Lost Highway (ENO
co-production with the Young Vic) and, as an opera director, The Magic
Flute (Canadian Opera Company), Il mondo della luna at the Hayden
Planetarium in New York, Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Turn Of The
Screw, Cosi fan tutte, and the Monteverdi trilogy Il ritorno d’Ulisse
in patria, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Orfeo at the Chicago Opera
Theatre. Diane is a Professor of the Practice of Theatre in Harvard
University’s English Department and was recently named one of the 50
Most Powerful Women in Boston by Boston Magazine. She is a recipient
of an Honorary Doctorate from Boston Conservatory. This is Diane
Paulus’ first collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.
Scott Pask
Set and Props Designer
Award winning Scenic Designer Scott Pask has designed a diverse range
of productions, both on Broadway and in London. His works for theatre,
opera and dance include The Pillowman, with Billy Crudup and Jeff
Goldblum(Tony Award for Best Scenic Design); A Behanding in Spokane,
starring Christopher Walken, and A Steady Rain, with Daniel Craig
and Hugh Jackman. A long time collaborator of Diane Paulus, Scott has
worked on many projects with her, most notably the award winning
revival of HAIR on Broadway and in London, as well as The Donkey Show.
His numerous Broadway Scenic design credits also include Promises
Promises, Pal Joey, Speed The Plow, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The
Vertical Hour, Urinetown, Take Me Out, NINE with Antonio Banderas, La
Cage Aux Folles, and The Coast of Utopia for which he won the Tony,
Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Hewes Awards for Best Scenic
Design. Most recently he designed the new hit musical The Book Of
Mormon and won one of the production’s nine Tony awards for his
design. He has also designed Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera.
His work has been exhibited at The Prague Quadrennial, The Bruce
Museum of Science and Art, The Leslie Lohman Gallery, The Met Gallery,
and is in the permanent collection of the McNay Art Museum. Scott Pask
works with Cirque du Soleil for the first time.
Mérédith Caron
Costume Designer
Mérédith Caron has made her mark in theatre, cinema, opera and circus,
not just in Quebec but the world over. With more than 175
collaborations under her belt, Mérédith is one of Canada’s top costume
designers. She has worked with some outstanding directors, including
Pierre Bernard, Serge Denoncourt, Robert Lepage, Martine Beaulne, René
Richard Cyr, André Brassard, Daniele Finzi Pasca and Richard Monette
at the prestigious Stratford Festival in Ontario. During her
collaborations, Mérédith Caron has received many prestigious awards in
Quebec, including a Gémeau, seven Gascon-Roux and two Masque awards.
She has been teaching art history and costume design at the National
Theatre School of Canada in Montreal for nearly 20 years. She worked
with Cirque du Soleil for the first time in 1988, when she designed
costumes for a project under development. After CRISS ANGEL Believe,
Mérédith is working on her third project with Cirque du Soleil.
Bob & Bill
Composers
Composers and arrangers Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard (aka Bob & Bill)
are well known for their ability to blur the lines between genres and
styles. In 2003, they composed the music for Splinter Cell (Pandora
Tomorrow), a best-selling Ubisoft video game. They have also produced
several albums, including Monica Freire’s Bahiatronica and Pink Floyd
Redux, a collection of remixed songs from the British cult band, as
well as the soundtrack album for the Cirque du Soleil show KOOZA. In
2004, Bob & Bill supplied the musical direction and arrangements for
the Cirque du Soleil show Midnight Sun, as part of the 25th
anniversary celebrations of the Montreal International Jazz Festival
and the 20th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil. Three-time nominees for
a Quebec music industry ADISQ award, the two sidekicks also created
the music for several films and television series, and composed the
music for Director Robert Lepage’s production Pageant de Canotgraphie.
In 2008, the duo launched their first album, Crime Report, a work
combining electronic and organic sounds. Bob & Bill regularly work
with Cirque du Soleil to create the musical arrangements for many
special events, including the show Le Royaume de Tôle (the third
chapter of Les Chemins invisibles performed in Quebec City in the
summer of 2011). They also composed the music for TOTEM, directed by
Robert Lepage. Amaluna will therefore be their third show as composers
for Cirque du Soleil.
Jacques Boucher
Sound Designer
For over 25 years, Jacques Boucher has been creating sound
environments for a number of productions from Quebec and beyond.
Jacques also worked as a sound technician for various Quebec artists,
including Richard Séguin, Laurence Jalbert, Diane Dufresne and Bruno
Pelletier. He went on to develop an expertise in sound design for
musicals such as Dracula (2006) and large-scale events, including the
mega-show 2000 voix chantent le monde, presented in Quebec City in
2000, with over 2,300 singers on stage. In 2008, Jacques was asked to
handle the sound for almost every event presented as part of the
celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. As Sound
Designer and Head of Sound, he designed sound for the Quebec Symphony
Orchestra’s performance of the Symphonie des mille by Gustav Mahler,
The Image Mill by Robert Lepage, for which he designed the impressive
sound system spanning 1.2 km, and the special show presented by Cirque
du Soleil. Jacques also works as Sound Designer and Head of Sound for
some Cirque du Soleil special events. After TOTEM, he will be taking
part in his second Cirque du Soleil show.
Matthieu Larivée
Lighting Designer
Matthieu Larivée came up with the ingenious lighting designs for
several shows and artistic events in Quebec and throughout Canada. His
multidimensional approach and overall vision of the show has allowed
him to participate in large-scale projects such as the show Le Petit
Roy, directed by Serge Postigo, and Beladi – A night at the Pyramids,
a unique show featuring singer Chantal Chamandy and the Cairo Symphony
Orchestra, performed in front of the Egyptian pyramids, which allowed
Matthieu to emphasize the beauty of such majestic monuments. This
international project earned him the MELDA (Middle East Lighting
Design Awards) Award in 2007 and recognition from his peers at the
2008 Parnelli Awards in Las Vegas. At the 2010 Gala de l’ADISQ,
Matthieu was nominated as “Lighting Designer of the Year” for
MusicMan, starring Gregory Charles, and again in 2011 for Roch
Voisine’s Americana. Matthieu never hesitates to push the boundaries
of his art, incorporating video technology and scenic effects into his
projects. For over ten years now, Matthieu Larivée and his Lüz Studio
team have been responsible for the visual look of numerous concerts
and events, including Canadian Music Week (2010 and 2011), Guy
Laliberté’s Poetic Social Mission (an event that took place in 2009
during his eleven-day journey into space on board the International
Space Station), the Concerts OSM éclatés, as well as the graphic
design for the opening night of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in
2010. Matthieu has also worked with famous artists such as pianist
Michel Legrand and singer Natasha St-Pier. Amaluna marks Matthieu’s
second time taking part in a Cirque du Soleil show after Wintuk.
Karole Armitage
Choreographer
Karole Armitage, director of Armitage Gone! Dance Company based in New
York, was rigorously trained in classical ballet. Through her unique
and acute knowledge of the aesthetic values of Balanchine and
Cunningham, she is seen by some critics as the true choreographic heir
to the two masters of twentieth-century American dance. Known as the
“Punk Ballerina,” Armitage is renowned for pushing the boundaries to
create works that blend dance, music and art. Following the premiere
of the Watteau Duets, Mikhail Baryshnikov invited her to create a work
for the American Ballet Theatre, and Rudolph Nureyev commissioned a
work for the Paris Opera Ballet. She has collaborated with
contemporary composers and worked with artists such as Jeff Koons,
Brice Marden and David Salle. She choreographed two Broadway
productions (Passing Strange and Hair, which awarded her a Tony
nomination), videos for Madonna and Michael Jackson and several
films. She has set new works on companies that include the Bolshoi
Ballet in Moscow, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Ballet Naccional de Cuba
and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Her company tours an
extensive repertoire and creates site-specific works for festivals and
venues worldwide. She has directed operas from the baroque and
contemporary repertoire for prestigious houses of Europe, including
Teatro Di San Carlo in Naples, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Lyric
Opera in Athens and Het Muzik Theatre in Amsterdam. She also
choreographed The Cunning Little Vixen for the New York Philharmonic.
Armitage was awarded France’s most prestigious award in 2009,
Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. This is her first
collaboration with Cirque du Soleil.
Debra Brown
Choreographer
Debra Brown is world renowned for her unique choreographies blending
acrobatics and dance. She joined Cirque du Soleil in 1987 as a
choreographer for We Reinvent the Circus and went on to choreograph
the shows Nouvelle Expérience, Saltimbanco, Alegría, Mystère, Quidam,
“O”, La Nouba, Corteo, one act in Zumanity, ZED, Zarkana and Michael
Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour. She has also worked with artists and
groups from a wide variety of disciplines including the 1990 Festival
Mondial du Cirque de Demain (Paris), the John Corigliano’s opera The
Ghosts of Versailles, presented at the Metropolitan Opera in New York
and Wagner’s Ring Cycle, put on by the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In
1994, Debra created and produced Apogée, a 50-minute trampoline-based
ballet which premiered in Toronto and was also presented in Los
Angeles and San Francisco for an AIDS benefit hosted by Elizabeth
Taylor and Magic Johnson. In 1995, she worked with Luciano Pavarotti
on the Metropolitan Opera’s production of La Fille du Régiment (The
Daughter of the Regiment) in New York. Debra also choreographed
Aerosmith’s Jaded video and performance for the American Music Awards
in 2001, as well as Madonna’s Drowned world tour. Debra has worked
with major musical acts such as Shakira, Wyclef Jean and Céline Dion.
Her film work includes Catwoman, Van Helsing and Barney’s Great
Adventure. She received the Innovative Choreography Award in honour of
her exceptional contribution to choreography and dance at the 14th Bob
Fosse Awards in Los Angeles in 1997. In 2002, she received an Emmy
Award for her choreography of an act created by Cirque du Soleil for
the Academy Awards.
Caitlan Maggs
Acrobatic Choreographer
A dance expert for over 30 years, Caitlan Maggs received her classical
ballet training at The Royal Ballet School in London and went on to
dance with The National Ballet of Canada with such legendary dancers
as Nureyev and Baryshnikov. After being a soloist with Les Grands
Ballets Canadiens, she became principal dancer with Desrosiers Dance
Theatre where she performed a contemporary dance-theatre repertoire.
Caitlan Maggs has performed internationally at festivals and venues
including American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, Metropolitan Opera
of New York and Covent Garden. Following her stage career as
professional dancer, Caitlan became a reputed teacher and
choreographer at l’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec for 10 years.
At Cirque du Soleil for the past 12 years, Caitlan is Head of Artistic
Training overseeing customized training programs offered to
performers by specialists in dance, theatre, singing and movement.
Caitlan is also involved in the development and implementation of
artistic and acro-artistic training for all new Cirque du Soleil
creations. In 2008 Caitlan was acrobatic choreographer for the Cirque
du Soleil production CRISS ANGEL Believe. She also collaborates with
Cirque du Soleil’s Centre for Research and Innovation of Performance
to explore new possibilities in acro-dance, and, since 2009, she
choreographs acts for Cirque’s Special Events Department. Amaluna will
be her second Cirque du Soleil production as acrobatic choreographer.
Rob Bollinger
Acrobatic Performance Designer
Rob Bollinger was a competitive trampolinist at the age of 9 and
partnered with his father on the invention of the double mini
trampoline as his family owned a trampoline club in Illinois, where he
grew up. He studied Business at Indiana University on a scholarship as
a competitive springboard diver. He won two national diving
championships and qualified for the 1980 and 1984 Olympics trials. He
did not make the team on either occasion, and at first turned away
from the world of competitive sports. Rob tried his hand at a variety
of jobs in aeronautics and insurance, but always found the pull of
acrobatics too strong to resist, so he went to work in diving shows in
theme parks, which led him all over Europe. On his return to the
United States he put his talents as a diver and trampolinist to work
in film and television as a professional stunt man, notably for
Universal Studios. Rob joined Cirque du Soleil in 1993 during the
creation of the first resident show Mystère as a coach and artist in
the show’s original house troupe. In 1997 he joined “O”, first as a
coach, then as artistic coordinator and eventually he was appointed
the production’s artistic director. He also added the artistic
direction of Mystère to his responsibilities. This is Rob’s second
show as Acrobatic Performance Designer after ZAIA.
Fred Gérard
Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer
In 1984, after some eye-opening encounters at Zingaro Circus (France),
Fred left a career drilling for oil to tap into circus arts. Among the
first to graduate from the National Centre for Circus Arts in Châlons-
sur-Marne (France) as a flying trapeze porter, Fred was approached to
become a trapeze artist in the Cirque du Soleil show Nouvelle
Expérience. Forced to leave the stage following an injury, he became
assistant to the show’s director and artistic director. He went on to
assume the role of Tour Artistic Coordinator. After a short stint in
Europe, he returned to Cirque du Soleil, taking his first steps in
acrobatic equipment design for the shows Alegría and Mystère. Working
as Head Rigger and training circus technicians at Cirque du Soleil
International Headquarters in Montreal, he then took up these duties
on several touring shows between 1997 and 2006. With the help of his
circus friends, Fred co-founded the Nickel Chrome group in Martigues
in the South of France. As a member of this organization, which
supports circus projects, he acts as Tent Master/Head Rigger, Artistic
Director, Designer or Trainer for circus projects and companies all
over the world. Working with Nickel Chrome and Théâtre Europe, he was
also involved in the creation and development of the Janvier dans les
Étoiles festival in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France. This is the second time
Fred Gérard has worked on a Cirque du Soleil show as Acrobatic
Equipment and Rigging Designer, after OVO.
Patricia Ruel
Props Designer (KÀ, LOVE, Viva Elvis, Amaluna)
Patricia Ruel has contributed to the success of a myriad of plays,
television shows and special events, both in Quebec and abroad. Her
track record includes over 50 productions as Props Designer and a
dozen as Set Designer. Patricia has received two Théâtre Denise-
Pelletier awards for her sets for Révizor, directed by Reynald
Robinson, in 2003, and Edmond Dantès, directed by Robert Bellefeuille,
in 2004. In 2011, she received a Gémeau award in the “Best Set Design:
all variety categories, magazines, public affairs, sports” category
for the end-of-year special Bye Bye 2010, aired on SRC. She has worked
with various theatre directors, including Robert Lepage, Dominic
Champagne and Fernand Rainville. She has also worked on several
projects for Cirque du Soleil, including KÀ, The Beatles LOVE and Viva
ELVIS as Props Designer and Wintuk and Banana Shpeel as Set Designer.
Eleni Uranis
Makeup Designer
Eleni Uranis joined Cirque du Soleil in 1989 as Assistant to Costume
Designer Dominique Lemieux. She then worked on various shows, where
she was responsible for materials research, fittings and artistic
quality control. She then designed costumes for the show Pomp Duck and
Circumstance, performed in Hamburg (Germany) from 1997 to 1999. In
2002, she worked alongside world-renowned designer Thierry Mugler to
design the costumes for Zumanity. In 2004, Eleni Uranis’ career took a
sharp turn when she joined the Cirque du Soleil make-up workshop,
where she would see her ideas brought to life by the artists of
Dralion. Between 2004 and 2006, Eleni Uranis assisted Make-up Designer
Nathalie Gagné with several shows and, in 2005, she designed the make-
up for Reflections in Blue, the show Cirque produced for the opening
ceremonies of the XI FINA World Aquatic Championships. With Amaluna,
Eleni is designing the make-up for her sixth Cirque du Soleil
production after Dralion, Wintuk, ZED, Banana Shpeel and Zarkana.
Randy Weiner
Dramaturge
Randy Weiner is a playwright and theatre producer. He is a leading
impresario of non-traditional theatre in New York and around the
world. With his wife, Diane Paulus, Weiner co-created The Donkey Show,
a disco adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which has been
produced in New York, London, Madrid, Geneva, Edinburgh, Helsinki,
Seoul, and throughout the United States. Along with partners Simon
Hammerstein and Richard Kimmel, Weiner created and continues to manage
the variety theatre-nightclub THE BOX in NYC and London. As a writer
collaborating with Director Diane Paulus, Randy’s work includes the
story for a robot opera, Death and the Powers, produced by MIT Media
Lab; the book and lyrics for Best of Both Worlds, an R&B musical based
on Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale produced by American Repertory
Theatre; and 38 other productions with Project 400, a troupe he
established with Paulus. Weiner is the creator of OBERON the theatre-
nightclub that is the second stage for American Repertory Theatre.
Weiner also produced the Drama Desk Award winning immersive theatrical
experience of Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More. He has served on the
Advisory Committee on the Arts at Harvard University and has lectured
on theatre arts at Harvard, Columbia University, Barnard College, New
York University, and Yale University. Randy Weiner collaborates with
Cirque du Soleil for the first time.
