The Ark
At the heart of The Ark is a message of hope delivered by acrobats, music and a host of breathtaking images. The Ark gently invites us to reflect upon our world and become aware of how it is crumbling around us.
A stunning production where each remarkable scene is as unpredictable as it is delicate.
At the core of the piece is a plea on behalf of Nature, on behalf of an environment that was bestowed to us, one that we must preserve and pass on to future generations.
Despite the richness of our planet, our resources are limited and continue to decrease every hour of every day. And yet there are men and women everywhere striving to preserve our world, one whose fragility is matched only by its magnificent beauty.
Our message is not an alarmist one: we simply seek to awaken the public’s interest in a cause that is without borders, without limits.
Duration
Language
Age
Technical Requirements
75 minutes
universal, without words
10 years old and up
TEAM
Creators
Artistics Directors
Reggi Ettore
Lorena Corradi
Consultant for the Creation of the Production & Costume Designer
Pascal Jacob
Stage Director
Julie Lachance
Composer
Image Design
Pier Chartrand
Lighting Design
Bruno Rafie
Assistant Costume Design & Confection
Michel Vaudrin
SUPPORTERS
The Biodome of Montreal
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme
The Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Julie Lachance
stage director
Originally from the world of dance, whether as choreographer, stage director or teacher, Julie Lachance has now been a part of the Quebec circus scene for over twenty years. Her artistic profile is rich and varied. Be it in her work on large productions, smaller scale presentations or specific exploration work with independent artists, her creative approach in circus arts embraces the fusion of forms and styles.
Dralion (Cirque du Soleil), Chameleon and Synfunia (Salto Natale, Switzerland), Ulalena (Maui Myth and Magic, Hawaii), My Dance and Do I know you ? (Sandy Silva), Celui qui a des yeux (Productions à Trois Têtes) and over fifteen productions at Montreal’s National Circus School are among the numerous creations to which she has collaborated.
Pascal Jacob
consultant for the creation of the production and costume designer
Pascal Jacob is an historian of the circus and the stage. He is passionate about all aspects of the circus, and is also director and scenarist for the theatre and the opera.
As an author and professor, he has worked with Alain M. Pacherie, artistic director of the Cirque Phénix in Paris. A prolific writer, he has published many works about the circus arts.
He is an indisputable authority in his field. Driven to share his knowledge of the art, Pascal Jacob teaches the history of the circus in many settings, including schools in Rosny-sous-Bois, Brussels and Montreal, as well as at the Centre national des Arts du cirque de Châlons in Champagne.
Denis Gougeon
composer
Denis Gougeon is one of the foremost composers of his generation. He has received commissions for a number of groups and individual performers in Canada and abroad, for concert music, theatre and ballet alike. His music is accessible, dynamic, and lyrical.
In November 2000, the "Conseil Québécois de la Musique" awarded him the Opus prize for Composer of the Year.
Along with Yves Daoust, Gougeon wrote the scores for the Arsenal’s productions of Planète Baobab (The Little Prince and Alice). Denis Gougeon describes himself as an ‘intuitive’ composer, who seeks to touch the listener directly, via emotion.
Pier Chartrand
visual design
Since 1980, Pier Chartrand has acquired solid experience in web design, illustration, technical layout, photo and artistic direction, as well as film direction. He has designed posters for exhibits, plays and films, as well as art catalogues and 3-D animation for a variety of clients.
Lucion Média
visual design
Lucion Media has been specializing in multimedia stage productions for 10 years.
Its theatre facilities replicate stage conditions to test scenography, projections, lighting and performances. It became a great tool to develop productions used by many visual artists.
Bruno Rafie
conception des éclairages
Pendant plus de vingt ans, Bruno Rafie a imaginé de fabuleux éclairages pour le monde du cirque, de la chanson, de la danse, du théâtre et de l’humour ainsi que pour des émissions télévisuelles et des évènements spéciaux – plus d’une centaine au total. Il a notamment conçus les éclairages pour la 26ème création du Cirque du Soleil en 2010, Banana Shpeel, et le spectacle Patinoire produit par les 7 Doigts de la Main. Il a assisté Alain Lortie à la conception des éclairages de la tournée Us de Peter Gabriel en Angleterre en 1993, de même que cosigné ceux deL’Homme aux mille visages du transformiste Arturo Brachetti, en 1999. Des artistes de renommée internationale tels que Stevie Wonder, Pat Metheny, B-52 et Ben Harper se sont entre autres produits sous les lumières ambiantes de ce dernier, dans le cadre du Festival international de jazz de Montréal (FIJM)
Merlin Ettore
compositeur
Artiste de la relève, Merlin Ettore a de nombreuses expériences musicales à son actif. Avec le quatuor Fugha, il remporte, à l’hiver 2004, le ‹‹ prix du public ›› au concours Cégeps en Spectacle. Il est co-fondateur , batteur et compositeur pour cinq groupes musicaux avec lesquels il s’est produit à Montréal, Québec et Toronto, Milan, Berlin et New York.
En 2007 il compose une œuvre à 6 percussionnistes pour l’ouverture la Symphonie portuaire à Montréal.
En 2008 il est assistant à la composition du spectacle L’Arche . Il signe la partie électronique et acoustique.
Il a collaboré avec des musiciens de renommée internationale tels : Don Preston, claviériste de Frank Zappa, Pat Mastellotto, batteur de King Crimson, et le légendaire batteur Jazz Guy Nadon.
Michel Vaudrin
aide à la conception et confection des costumes
Michel Vaudrin invente des vêtements de spectacles à mi-chemin entre la mode et la sculpture. Il crée à partir de matériaux hétéroclites des oeuvres inédites. Il a présenté ses créations lors d’une soixantaine de défilés, spectacles et performances.