Theatre

Lipsynch
An Ex Machina - Théâtre San Frontières production
in association with Cultural Industry Ltd and Northern Stage

Lipsynch is a theatrical extravaganza of nine stories, magically interweaving continents and lifetimes in a search for origins, voice and identity.

Northern Stage is honoured to be hosting Robert Lepage’s company Ex Machina and Théâtre Sans Frontières for a unique residency. 27 performers, designers and technicians from Québec, Spain, Germany, Canada and the North East of England, will be in residence at Northern Stage for three weeks, culminating in this new piece of unforgettable theatre.

Lipsynch is an epic panorama that spreads from the middle of the 20th century to 2010 as one character holds the centre in an unfolding myriad of stories that discover how all of our lives are intertwined. Sweeping from extreme pathos to outrageous comedy, Lipsynch takes in scenes of war-torn Vienna, pre-revolutionary Nicaragua and contemporary Tenerife, Québec and Newcastle upon Tyne.

From the raw sounds of a baby’s cry to the highly-trained control of an opera singer’s vocal range, Lipsynch uses dubbing, post-synch, automated voices and disembodied narratives to investigate the human voice in all its manifestations.



This is the first time Théâtre Sans Frontières has collaborated with Ex Machina, a development process which has been five years in the making. Now they join forces with Northern Stage to bring this exclusive first glimpse of Lipsynch to the UK.

Newcastle audiences may be familiar with Lepage’s work from his previous appearances at Newcastle Playhouse with Elsinore and The Far Side Of The Moon. Last year, Ex Machina and Cultural Industry brought The Andersen Project to the Barbican in London, and Lipsynch is the next large canvas work following Robert’s astonishing epic pieces Seven Steams Of The River Ota and The Dragons’ Trilogy.

Lipsynch will return to Europe in 2009 as a nine hour epic, but these five performances will be the only ones in the world of this first manifestation of a remarkable new piece.

---

As part of the creative process, everyone involved in the creation of Lipsynch would love to receive your feedback.  If you have been to a performance, then please click here, fill in the form and tell us your thoughts on this innovative new work.

---

Ticket Information

Tickets are £28, £22 or £18.  There are no concessions available for this performance.

Suitable for ages 15+

Stage 1

Mon 19 Feb at 6pm
Tue 20 Feb at 6pm
Thu 22 Feb at 6pm
Fri 23 Feb at 6pm
Sat 24 Feb at 2pm

Running time approx 5 hours 20, including intervals