Ex Machina + Côté Danse
Hamlet in dance
An artistic summit inspired by Hamlet, between choreographer and principal dancer Guillaume Côté and theatre maker and director Robert Lepage. An exceptional evening!
After the success of Frame by Frame, which they co-created in 2018 based on the work of animation filmmaker Norman McLaren, Côté and Lepage now tackle Hamlet, whose mesmerizing hero—played here by Guillaume Côté—gives the work almost mythical status. Transcending words to reveal the character’s dark side and deep humanity, the creators challenge themselves to approach him solely through dance—delivered by an ensemble of nine virtuoso performers, a minimalist set, and John Gzowski’s music. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark transports us to a world of deceptive appearances, where ghosts and humans mingle. A unique interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy; a must see!
Artists
Guillaume Côté is a native of Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec. He studied at Canada’s National Ballet School and joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1999. He quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2004. Since then, Mr. Côté has danced most of the major classical roles with the National Ballet of Canada and has been the leading male figure of the company.
The multidisciplinary artist, Robert Lepage is all at once an actor, a director, a playwright and a stage director. Hailed by international critics, his original, contemporary and unusual works, inspired by recent history, transcend borders and challenge the standards of scenic writing, particularly through the use of new technologies.
Company
Led by artistic director Robert Lepage, Ex Machina creates, produces and disseminates multidisciplinary artistic works, most often theatrical. The company brings together creators from several fields of activity and offers a broad range of artistic production: original plays written and performed solo or collectively, plays based on existing texts, productions in which various disciplines (dance, music, museology) mingle with theater, operas and multimedia productions featuring a predominantly technological dimension.
Côté Danse’s mission is to create and present original dance works and experiences in collaboration with various and diverse designers, artists, and partners with the goal of providing performance excellence. Côté Danse offers accessible and scalable productions for a multitude of audiences and venues within Canada and abroad, fostering a new generation of dance and theatre goers.
Credits
Hamlet, prince du Danemark
Directed by Robert Lepage.
Choreography Guillaume Côté.
Based on the work of William Shakespeare.
Dancers Guillaume Côté, Greta Hodgkinson, Natasha Poon Woo, William Yong, Carleen Zouboules, Lukas Malkowski, Robert Glumbek, Connor Mitton, Willem Sadler.
Original music John Gzowski.
Lights Simon Rossiter.
Costumes Monika Onozko.
Set and lighting co-design Vanessa Cadrin.
Creative director Steve Blanchet.
Creative assistant and rehearsal director Anisa Tejpar.
Assistant director and stage manager Félix Dagenais.
Production manager Nadia Bellefeuille.
Technical Director Antoine Caron.
TECHNICAL TEAM
Lighting director Billy Bergeron.
Sound and Video Manager Samuel Sérandour.
Head stagehand Sébastien Côté.
Accessories Jeanne Lapierre.
Costumes Émilie Potvin.
Fights Consultant Jack Rennie.
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