FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joyce Linehan for ArtsEmerson, 617-282-2510, [email protected]

ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage PRESENTS THE BOSTON PREMIERE OF /EX MACHINA THE ANDERSEN PROJECT MARCH 24-APRIL 1, 2012

High resolution photos available for download at http://www.ashmontmedia.com/AE_photos_season_andersen.html

Press performance is Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. Please respond to this email with requests.

(BOSTON) The second season of international theatre programming by ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage continues with the Boston premiere of The Andersen Project. In this frequently comic masterpiece by theatre visionary Robert Lepage, a Canadian rock-‘n-roll writer is unexpectedly commissioned by the Opéra Garnier in Paris to write a libretto for a children's opera, based on the work of Hans Christian Andersen, who, as it turns out, never really liked children. Lepage’s new Ring cycle for The Metropolitan Opera will be performed in its entirety in New York, spring 2012. Performances take place March 24 – April 1, 2012 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont Street, in Boston’s Theatre District). Tickets, from $25 – $89, are on sale now at www.artsemerson.org or by phone at (617) 824-8400.

Hailed by The Guardian UK as “a theatrical conjurer, whose dazzling shows have captivated audiences around the world,” writer and director Robert Lepage is known worldwide for his creative and original approach to theatre. In this modern fairy tale, Yves Jacques ( The Far Side of the Moon ) is a one-man tour-de-force as the Canadian songwriter caught by surprise as he is asked to write a libretto. Arriving in Paris, he discovers that his living quarters, borrowed from a friend, are on the fourth floor of a building that is also home to a peep show, frequented by the Opéra Garnier’s administrator (a man with some odd and unusual likings), in the city's red light district. He also meets a young janitor and graffiti artist of North African descent, and a dog who could well be guiding the tale along its way.

Freely inspired from two stories by Andersen (“The Dryad” and “The Shadow”) and from anecdotes drawn from the famed Danish author’s Parisian travels, The Andersen Project calls on some of Lepage’s recurring themes: the confrontation of romanticism and modernism, of recognized and underground art forms, between past and present. However, in this new work, he also explores more troubling territories: questions about sexual identity, unfulfilled fantasies and a thirst for recognition and fame that are drawn from Andersen’s life and writings, only to serve as a filigree to the modern tale.

Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Robert Lepage has shaken the dogma of classical stage direction to its foundations over his career, especially through his use of new technologies. Born in in 1957, Lepage studied in Canada and France, and founded the multidisciplinary production company, Ex Machina, in 1994. Ex Machina brings together actors, writers, set designers, technicians, opera singers, puppeteers, computer graphic designers, video artists and musicians. Under his artistic direction, this team produced a steady output of plays, beginning with The Seven Streams of the River Ota (1994), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1995) and a solo production, Elsinore (1995). In 1994, he made his début in the world of cinema. He wrote and directed his first feature film, Le Confessional , which appeared the following year at the Cannes Festival Directors’ Fortnight. He went on to direct Polygraph in 1996, Nô in 1997, Possible Worlds in 2000 (his first feature film written in English), and finally, in 2003, a film adaptation of his play The Far Side of the Moon . For more information about Robert Lepage, visit http://lacaserne.net/ .

Yves Jacques began his career on comedy television in Quebec, with imitations of famous political figures that became classics and earned him numerous Gemini Awards. He then made a splash on the big screen in Jesus of (2004) portraying a greedy lawyer who defends the Devil. Since then Jacques has appeared in a number of films including the 2011 Academy Award-winning picture, (Best Foreign Language Film).

March 24—April 1, 2012 THE ANDERSEN PROJECT – Boston Premiere Ex Machina/Robert Lepage Written and Directed by Robert Lepage Performed by Yves Jacques Cutler Majestic Theatre Running time: 2 hours and 10 minutes with no intermission

Performances:

Saturday, March 24, 8 p.m. Sunday, March 25, 2 p.m. (press opening) Tuesday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 30, 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31, 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday, April 1, 2 p.m.

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About ArtsEmerson ArtsEmerson is the organization established by Emerson College to program the beautifully restored 590-seat Paramount Mainstage; the versatile, intimate Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre (“The Jackie”), which can seat up to 150 people; the state-of-the-art 170-seat Bright Family Screening Room (all located within the new Paramount Center, a cornerstone in the revitalization of downtown Boston); and the beloved, historic 1,186-seat Cutler Majestic Theatre in the heart of the Theatre District, fully restored by Emerson in 2003. Under the artistic leadership of Rob Orchard, ArtsEmerson gives Boston audiences a new level of cultural choice, bringing professional American and international work to its four distinct venues. In addition to its acclaimed theatre works, ArtsEmerson presents adventurous, independent and repertory films on weekends, and offers a diverse music program including cutting edge indie rock and world music. For more information, visit artsemerson.org .

About Emerson College Located in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson is the only four-year private college in the United States devoted to teaching communication and the arts in a liberal arts context. The College has 3,453 undergraduates and 837 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 60 student organizations and performance groups, 14 NCAA teams, student publications, honor societies, television stations including the Emerson Channel, and WERS-FM, the nation’s highest rated student-run radio station. Emerson is internationally known for its study and internship programs in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., the Netherlands, China, and the Czech Republic. For more information, visit www.emerson.edu .

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On sale now at ArtsEmerson:

March 13—18, 2012, AMERIVILLE, Paramount Center Mainstage March 24—April 1, 2012, THE ANDERSEN PROJECT – Robert Lepage/Ex Machina, Cutler Majestic Theatre March 29—April 1, 2012, TOMÁŠ KUBÍNEK: CERTIFIED LUNATIC & MASTER OF THE IMPOSSIBLE, Paramount Center Mainstage April 13—22, 2012, CAFÉ VARIATIONS , Cutler Majestic Theatre April 28—May 13, 2011, HERSHEY FELDER’S MAESTRO: LEONARD BERNSTEIN, Paramount Center Mainstage

For a complete list of film programming in the Bright Family Screening Room, visit http://bit.ly/aecinema .