An Artistic Stage that evokes dazzling spectacles and outstanding performances
The Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo is a resident theatre designed exclusively for ZED, an original Cirque du Soleil program that is featured only in Japan. Until now, resident shows have been limited to North America. For its first resident show in Asia, Cirque du Soleil has spent the last three years constructing this theatre whilst developing the story of ZED. The stage was designed to complement the dynamic performances presented in the show. The colossal set, which evokes the celestial sphere, was inspired by the astrolabe, a classic instrument used to locate and predict the position of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars. The set which extends well into the seats, allows the audience to feel more a part of the show. This, combined with the specially devised acrobatic equipment, makes for an amazing Cirque experience on a grand scale. Japan has never seen anything like it!
"The scenic atmosphere of ZED evokes the pinnacle of the High Renaissance and the dawn of the Mechanical Age." -François Séguin
Set designer François Séguin’s concept was inspired by the astrolabe, an instrument which was used for astronomical observation before the invention of the sextant. Wanting the stage to be as impressive as a movie scene, Séguin drew upon themes evoking the flourishing of the Renaissance and the Mechanical Age.
In the theatre, brass and copper components, precision engineering, elaborate craftsmanship and scientific ingenuity combine to create the impression of being inside and sometimes outside of a complex astrolabe floating through space. Séguin’s inspiration came from many diverse sources such as ancient science, the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, devices produced in the early Mechanical Age, nautical instruments and astronomy , all of which come together to create the duality of a rigid, traditional world and the sensation of traveling through space towards the future. The “Zed Alpha,” an alphabet consisting of 26 original, distinctive symbols, was created especially for the show. The set design includes these symbols scattered across the stage as a visual representation of both the periodic table of chemical elements and the language of the show.
The gigantic globe floating above centre stage shows the meridians and lines of latitude, while on the floor, there is the Milky Way and the symbols showing the Moon’s phases.
The set design was inspired by the classic astrolabe, an ancient astronomical computer.
The stage looks impeccably beautiful from any seat in the theatre.
