Conferment of the Japan Foundation Award upon Mr. Robert Lepage from Quebec (August 24, 2022)
Actor, director, playwright, and filmmaker Robert Lepage has been conferred the Japan Foundation Award for 2022. He is the first Canadian ever to win this award.
In addition to being an actor, Robert Lepage is a director, playwright, filmmaker, and the artistic leader of Ex Machina (Latin for “from the machine”), a creative collective he founded in Canada with activities spanning the domains of theater, opera and multimedia shows. The company is widely acclaimed throughout the world for its unique productions that boldly incorporate the latest technologies.
Lepage has a long history of relationships with Japan, such as the performance in Japan of his work “The Seven Streams of the River Ota” about Hiroshima, and had many collaborations with Japanese artists. He was awarded the prize for his significant influence on the Japanese performing arts and his contribution to the promotion of mutual international understanding through these activities.