50th Anniversary of the Japan Foundation Awards

My work would not have become what it is today if I had not turned my gaze East, especially towards Japan.

From the first shock I experienced seeing a Kabuki performance when I was a young drama student in Quebec City, to my fascination for the Japanese language and calligraphy, and to my many stays in this bewitching country that so often inspired my practice, Japan taught me similarity as much as difference, generosity as much as restraint, flamboyance as much as discipline.

Among all initiatory journeys, Japan, antipodean country to Canada, allowed me to meet with myself. What I borrowed from Japan became deeply personal and though it is, at times, not immediately visible in my art, it is there still; as when Japan itself borrows from other cultures and manages to make it something authentically Japanese.

In these times of what we call cultural appropriation, we live in a world of trading and bartering. When one looks for a solution to a new challenge, it is always healthy to travel elsewhere, to meet with other people and to see other models. When one creates, no matter what, it is essential to have access to cultural exchanges with other countries. In my case, I have always been very attracted to Japan. The reasons why are still a bit unfathomable to me, like why we fall in Love…

The Japan Foundation offered me the possibility to travel and work in the land of the rising sun. Japanese theatre inspired me to invite other forms of art in my work and combine tradition with modernity. Seminal inspiration for The Seven Streams of the River Ota came from my first trip to Hiroshima, a resilient city that transcended horror and destruction into liveliness and beauty. I understood then my strong attraction to Japan…

I wish my work could inspire Japanese audiences, as much as their country and culture inspire me.

All my gratitude to the Japan Foundation and to all Japanese people.

Robert LEPAGE
Stage Director

(Original text in English)

The Japan Foundation Awards (2022)