Lepage honoured with European theatre prize

Quebec filmmaker, theatre director and playwright Robert Lepage was honoured in Greece on Sunday, winning a prestigious theatre prize worth more than $90,000. Lepage and German theatre director Peter Zadek were both named winners of the 11th Europe Theatre Prize, worth €60,000 (about $91,000 Cdn).

Over the years, Robert Lepage has brought a variety of productions to stage and screen.Over the years, Robert Lepage has brought a variety of productions to stage and screen. According to organizers, which took place in the northern Greek city of Salonika, Zadek was unable to attend the ceremony because of theatre commitments in Berlin.

Established in 1986, the prize honours individuals or drama institutions whose dramatic works have "furthered understanding and insight between peoples." Last year's winner was British playwright Harold Pinter. The jury for the European-centred award is made up of representatives from the world of theatre and art.

Lepage, one of Canada's best-known artists and an officer of the Order of Canada, started out in Quebec's theatre community, where he debuted plays like The Dragon's Trilogy. He also served as artistic director of French theatre at the National Arts Centre.

n the mid-1990s, Lepage founded a multidisciplinary production company called Ex Machina and spread out into filmmaking, with his credits including Le Confessional and Far Side of the Moon.
More recently, he has brought other types of productions to the stage, from the operas Erwartung and Bluebeard's Castle for the Canadian Opera Company to the Cirque du Soleil's KA to concert tours for Peter Gabriel.