Robert Lepage revisits childhood in solo show this weekend

Theatrical wizard Robert Lepage is our guide to a magical mystery tour of the past. A Montreal artist finds inspiration in science and the Canadian Arctic. And it's all about the beat for local classical musicians.

Persistence of memory

Expect magic, illusion and poetry in Robert Lepage's solo show 887, as the artist recalls his childhood growing up in Quebec City in the politically tumultuous 1960s. 

887 paints a portrait of the artist as a young boy, revealing his relationship with his taxi driver father and theatrical mother, set against the growing separatist movement in Quebec.

Robert Lepage on the vagary of memory

7 years ago

Duration 0:47

Robert Lepage on the vagary of memory in remembering his childhood.

A replica of the apartment Lepage grew up in dominates the stage, but this reimagined version could have been designed by Escher. Like memory itself, it's a distorted, oversized maze of hidden tunnels and trapdoors leading to family secrets.  

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 12 to Saturday, Jan. 27. 

​WHERE: Babs Asper Theatre at the National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St.

COST:  Tickets start at $35 and run to $89 and can be purchased here.

Art meets science

Also from Quebec City, conceptual artist Amélie Laurence Fortin visited Canada's Arctic last autumn alongside a group of scientists, explorers and architects. She was inspired by the landscape of the North, but also the exchange of ideas and perspectives she gained from colleagues working in different disciplines.

The result is a multi-media exhibition employing cutting-edge scientific inventions such as Singularity Black, a manmade coating that makes 3D forms seem flat.

WHEN: Under the Suns runs until Feb. 24

WHERE: AXENÉO7 at La Filature, 80 Hanson St., Gatineau (in the Hull district).

COST: Free

Rhythm and dance

Kids just get it: music is all about dancing and moving to the beat. It's likely they won't need much encouragement to get up on the dance floor when Ottawa's Bel Canto Wind Quintet leads a workshop for youngsters and their parents about how rhythm forms the backbone of music throughout the world.

From tango to disco, musicians will encourage kids as young as three to lay down some dance moves and create their own percussion.

WHERE: Azrieli Studio, NAC, 1 Elgin St.

WHEN: Sunday, 1:30 p.m.

COST: $11 for children, $15 for adults.