Théâtre du Nouveau Monde's TV ad for La Belle et la Bête

The Théâtre du Nouveau Monde just released a TV ad for our show La Belle et la Bête. Here it is.

La Belle et la Bête, the costumes

Here are a few sketches made by Anne-Séguin Poirier who designed the costumes for La Belle et la Bête.

La Belle - sketches by Anne-Séguin Poirier

La Dame - sketches by Anne-Séguin Poirier

La Belle et la Bête's synopsis

You are curious about what our version of La Belle et la Bête will be like? To give you a little preview, here is the synopsis of our show. 

La Belle et la Bête

A coproduction Lemieux Pilon 4D Art and Théâtre du Nouveau Monde

Conceived and directed by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon

Text by Pierre Yves Lemieux

Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission

In this contemporary take on a beloved classic, creators and producers Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon (Norman, La Tempête, Anima) deliver the timeless fairy tale of La Belle et la Bête in an astonishing new multi-disciplinary performance.

Though the compelling characters in this stunning new production are scarred, they manage to transcend their pain through their inexhaustible thirst for life.  They are intense, luminous beings, despite the shadows and wounds that so deeply mark them.

Belle grew up with loving parents, and an older sister who was a great storyteller.  But as her sister began to grow distant, caught up in a world of superficial pleasures, Belle found her own way through painting - encouraged on by her father, a reputable art dealer - until tragedy struck. Belle's beloved mother died suddenly, and her father, overcome with grief, pulled away from the younger daughter who bore such a striking resemblance to his lost love. 

Through her painting, Belle not only finds a way to make sense of her world, but also finds it to be the last thread that links her to her dear father.  Little does she know, however, that her artistic pursuit would also set the stage for an encounter with her father's most demanding client.

As Belle immerses herself in the solitary life of a painter, a man also seeks solitude after the death of the love of his life.  Grief stricken, he shuts himself up in his splendid manor until, one day, he tries to escape the unbearable pain in a gesture that leaves him grossly disfigured - a Bête.  With this, he withdraws even further from the world.

When Belle shows up at the manor - to deliver the last rose of a stone medallion that her father had promised to his client  - she stirs up memories of happier times that add salt to the Bête’s wounds and further his resolve to remain deaf to any offerings of concern or friendship. 

This chance encounter strikes at the very core of their steadfast resistance.  But while Belle willingly yields to the feelings that begin to fill her heart, the Bête is terrified by the chink in his emotional armor.  He sees no other way to protect himself but to waste away and die.

All the while, watching from the sidelines is La Dame - a world scholar on fairy tales, and the striking older woman who has long harbored a deep love for the Bête.  After suffering in silence for this man who had literally shut himself off from the world, La Dame finally relinquishes her hope.  As the weight of the years finally takes hold of her, she concedes that the only person that can possibly breathe la Bête back to life is Belle. 

Masters of osmosis, blending real and virtual imagery, Lemieux Pilon 4D Art has once again set new standards with this production.   All elements of the presentation  - from Belle's paintings to the characters' dramatic metamorphoses  - spring to life via virtual imagery.   And the virtuosity deployed by the creators to tell the universal story of resilience and the redemptive power of love against all odds will surely hold audiences spellbound. 

A good piece on NORMAN which aired on PBS in 2008.

Watch the full episode. See more Art Express.

This piece was made for the PBS show Art Express.

The first images of La Belle et la Bête

Are you curious as to what our next show La Belle et la Bête will look like? Last May, the first rehearsals and projection tests took place. Here are some pictures of the results of these experiments. For the cause, Michel Lemieux himself, played the Beast. Let us know what you think.

Review of NORMAN in Waterloo's The Record

Following its run during the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, THE RECORD, Waterloo's newspaper, published a great review of our show NORMAN. Here are some excerpts of what the journalist Joel Rubinnoff wrote:

"[…] what creators Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon have achieved here is nothing short of a new level of (virtual) reality – using one art form (dance) to enhance and edify another (filmmaking)."

"What it is is eye-poppingly original, a three-dimensional head trip that brings McLaren’s playful imagery to life in a way that makes it not only relevant, but fun, vibrant and accessible."

"With its inspired melding of technology and art, it feels like a new kind of theatre, a promise of visions to come and a bravura way to pluck one of Canada’s most talented filmmaker out of near obscurity and give him the showcase he deserves."

Click here to read the complete review.

NORMAN ticket giveaway!

You are in the Kitchener-Waterloo, ON area and you would like to see our show NORMAN? 
Your last chance is tonight, Saturday June 12 at 7 PM. 

We have two pairs of tickets to give away!

Just send us an email with your name and phone number at info@4dart.com.

The winners will be contacted by 5:30 PM tonight. 


Good luck!

Lemieux Pilon performing near you!

The internationally-acclaimed NORMAN, the most recent production by creators Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, is set to make its première tour of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. Since its launch in 2007, NORMAN has been presented at Montreal’s Place des Arts, where it played to full houses for two consecutive runs. It was also featured at the Quebec Scene Festival of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and at the LUMINATO Festival in Toronto. The critically-acclaimed show, which has staged more than 75 performances to date, recently returned from a worldwide tour that included France, England, Austria, the USA, China, Korea, Mexico and Colombia. 

The tour will take the show to the following cities:

June 10, 11, 12 / Kitchener / Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Centre in the Square
September 24 / Longueuil / Théâtre de la Ville   
September 29 / Rimouski / Spec’Art Salle Desjardins/Telus
October 2 / Baie-Comeau / Centre des arts Alcoa
October 5 / Sept-îles / Salle Jean-Marc-Dion
October 9 / Saint John NB / The Imperial
October 12 / Fredericton NB / Fredericton Playhouse     
October 22 / St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu / Théâtre des Deux Rives 
October 27 / Kingston ON / The Grand Theatre
October 30 / L’Assomption / Théâtre Hector-Charland
November 3 / Lennoxville / Théâtre Centennial

To download the complete press release, click here.

NORMAN at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival

NORMAN, created by Michel Lemieux, Victor Pilon and Peter Trosztmer, will be featured during Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario from June 10 to June 12, 2010. The show recently returned from an international tour that included three sold-out performances at Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris.

The premiere festival of new Canadian theatre, The Magnetic North Festival moves around the country, treating Canadians to excellence in English theatre. 

Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon present La Belle et la Bête during TNM's season launch

On April 7th, Théâtre du Nouveau Monde presented its 2010-2011 season. Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon were on hand to talk about their new creation, La Belle et la Bête, co-produced by Lemieux Pilon 4D Art and Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, and starring François Papineau, Andrée Lachapelle and Bénédicte Décary. The show will make its world premiere on January 17, 2011. Following its run at the TNM, the production will tour cities around the province of Quebec.