Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie proudly presents the world premiere of Against Nature (À Rebours), directed and choreographed by the renowned James Kudelka, composed by the award-winning James Rolfe with libretto by acclaimed playwright Alex Poch-Goldin.
Against Nature is a chamber opera/dancework that explores the beauty and perils of isolation, Inspired by a book of the same name by Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848 -1907).
Against Nature features three on-stage musicians, one dancer and two singers who move: award-winning dancer Laurence Lemieux, singers Alexander Dobson (bass-baritone) and Geoffrey Sirett (baritone), and musicians Steven Philcox (piano), Parmela Attariwala (violin) and Carina Reeves (cello) - all of whom were seen, except Philcox, in both versions of From The House of Mirth and performed with beauty and grace.
Kudelka won the 2015 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography for #lovesexbrahms. Against Nature (À Rebours ) is the second in a series of salon music/dance/theatre creations by Mr. Kudelka - the first being the celebrated From the House of Mirth which CLC premiered in 2012 and remounted in 2013 to sold out houses both times.
Lighting design is by Simon Rossiter who won the 2015 Dora Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for #lovesexbrahms. Projection design is by Jeremy Mimnagh and costume design is by HOAX Couture.
One of North America's most innovative choreographers and CLC resident choreographer (since 2008), James Kudelka's mastery of both classical ballet and modern / contemporary dance has earned him commissions from companies as stylistically diverse as American Ballet Theatre, Chicago's Hubbard Street Dance and Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. His work covers an impressive range, from virtuoso pas de deux through large-scale and always arresting adaptations of such classics as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Cinderella, to boldly innovative creative collaborations with dancers, designers and musicians. After nine distinguished years as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada (1996-2005), James Kudelka continues to undertake collaborative projects that engage and challenge him as a choreographer. Kudelka won the 2015 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography for dance production #lovesexbrahms (presented by Art of Time Ensemble in association with Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie).
Alex Poch-Goldin is an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced internationally. He has performed residencies and developed projects for The Canadian Stage Co., Tarragon Theatre, Factory, Passe Muraille, Buddies, Cahoots and 4th Line Theatre. His plays include: Yahrzeit ( Toronto Jewish Playwriting Award/German national tour); The Right Road To Pontypool, The Life of Jude, The Bad Luck Bank Robbers, Jim and Shorty and Internazionale. His plays Cringeworthy and This Hotel were both nominated for Dora Awards for Outstanding New Play. Alex's opera The Shadow, (composed by Omar Daniel) was produced in 2009 to critical acclaim by Tapestry New Opera. He has developed projects for CBC Radio, Bravo! Television and was a nominee for the 2008 Siminovitch Prize for playwriting. He is the co-artistic director of Planet 88 Productions with his partner Kelly Thornton. Alex is also an acclaimed actor and has worked extensively in theatre, ?lm and television. Alex enjoys singing musicals with his daughter Chloe Babette when he isn't making the best Montreal Smoked Meat in Toronto.
Toronto composer James Rolfe has been commissioned and performed by soloists, ensembles, orchestras, choirs, theatres and opera companies in Canada and abroad. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the K. M. Hunter Music Award, and the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music. The Canadian Opera Company, Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company, Tapestry New Opera, and Toronto Masque Theatre have commissioned and produced his operas. Upcoming projects include a new operatic version of Gogol's The Overcoat for Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera with writer Morris Panych.
Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie presents the world premiere of
Against Nature (À Rebours)
- a salon creation featuring one dancer, two singers and three musicians -
Directed and choreographed by James Kudelka
Dancer: Laurence Lemieux
Singers: Alexander Dobson & Geoffrey Sirett
Musicians: Steven Philcox (piano), Carina Reeves (cello), Parmela Attariwala (violin)
Composer: James Rolfe
Librettist: Alex Poch-Goldin
Lighting Designer: Simon Rossiter
Costume Designer: HOAX Couture
Projections: Jeremy Mimnagh
May 5-15, 2016 at The Citadel, 304 Parliament Street, Toronto M5A 3A4
Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 4pm
$50 General Admission
For tickets, call the box office at 416.364.8011 or online at http://colemanlemieux.com
Photo: Geoffrey Sirett and Laurence Lemieux. ©2016 Jeremy Mimnagh.
2016-04-26
Toronto: Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie presents "Against Nature (À Rebours)" May 5-15