RAIN

DANIELE FINZI PASCA - Director of Teatro Sunil and Author and Director
JEANNOT PAINCHAUD - Cirque Éloize Founder and Co-director - Artistic Director
JULIE HAMELIN - Cirque Éloize Co-founder and Co-director - Creative Producer
GUILLAUME LORD - Set Design
MÉRÉDITH CARON - Costume Design
MARTIN LABRECQUE - Lighting Design
KRZYSZTOF SOROCZYNSKI - Head Trainer, Acrobatic Group Acts Designer, Casting Agent
MARIA BONZANIGO - Music Composer & Arrangements on Recorded Soundtrack
LUCIE CAUCHON - Music Composer & Arrangements for Live Music
DANIEL CYR - Cirque Éloize Co-founder - Technical & Acrobatic Research & Development
DOLORES HEREDIA - Acting Preparation
NICOLAS DESCOTEAUX - Moving Lights Programmer
SUZANNE TRÉPANIER - Make-up Design
ROCH JUTRAS - Assistant Director
PATRICK LOUBERT - Assistant Director & Stage Manager

DANIELE FINZI PASCA Director of Teatro Sunil and Author and Director
DANIELE FINZI PASCA was born in Lugano, Switzerland in 1964. Director, author, choreographer, and clown, Daniele Finzi Pasca was born into a family of photographers and grew up in his father's darkroom, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and great-grandfather. His collaboration with his brother Marco began early in life, and together they founded two small soccer teams: Finfazu first, followed by Canarivi. Daniele's introduction to the world of the circus came through gymnastics, and he later took his first steps on stage under the guidance of a clown named Fery. In 1983, he moved to India, where he worked as a volunteer looking after the sick. Upon returning to Switzerland, he founded Teatro Sunil, which he still heads to this day. His lifelong fascination with clowning led to a collaboration with Maria Bonzanigo, from which sprang a theatrical technique that they would call "Teatro della Carezza". Finzi Pasca was sentenced to a short stay in prison for acting as a conscientious objector, and during that time, he put the finishing touches on his trilogy dedicated to "escape". One part of this trilogy was Icaro, a monologue for an audience of one. Interpreted by Finzi Pasca, and performed for more than 15 years in six different languages, Icaro has been presented around the world. This "benchmark" show would come to define the essence of style and elegance that is Teatro Sunil. The years that followed saw Finzi Pasca create and direct some 25 shows with Teatro Sunil. His projects have been seen in more than 20 countries, and are marked by a profound sense of humanity and playfulness. They include: Rituale, Viaggio al Confine, Dialoghi col Sonno, Percossi Obbligati, Giacobbe, 1337, Aitestás and Visitatio (a production of Teatro Sunil and Carbone 14 of Montréal). In recent years he has written and directed Te amo, a production of Poramor Producciones and Teatro Sunil, featuring Ana and Dolores Heredia, and two shows for the Cirque Eloize of Montreal: Nomade - At night, the sky is endless and Rain - Comme une pluie dans tes yeux. Nomade opened in 2002 and has met with enormous success in Paris, London, Vienna, Montréal, Athens, Rotterdam, Beirut, Hong Kong, Rome, Milan, Madrid etc, with more than 700 performances. Rain opened in 2003 at Irvine, California, and has had great success in New York and San Francisco, as well as receiving the Best Touring Production of the Year Theatre Award in Great Britain. For this show Daniele Finzi Pasca was nominated as the best director at the Drama Desk Awards in New York. In 2003 the Cirque du Soleil asked him to write and direct their new itinerant show, Corteo, which opened in April 2005 and which is at present on tour in North America. Daniele Finzi Pasca has also been commissioned to devise and direct the closing ceremony of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. In 2007 Daniele Finzi Pasca won the Swiss Award in the “show business”. Ever-faithful to his early influences, the projects that Daniele Finzi Pasca produces are stamped with his personal theatrical style and vision, creating a distinctive stage presence and methodology for his performers, which he is often asked to present in theatre schools and academies. Casagrande has published his collection of short stories entitled Come Acqua allo specchio as well as the complete script of Viaggio al Confine.
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JEANNOT PAINCHAUD Cirque Éloize Founder and Co-director - Artistic Director
A graduate of Montreal's National Circus School, Jeannot Painchaud's career has spanned two decades. He started out as an artist, working with various circus companies and multidisciplinary artistic groups for twelve years. He performed on stage or under the big top as part of a trio, a duet, and even solo, and toured the world constantly. At the start of his career, Jeannot travelled extensively throughout Europe as a public entertainer. He continued his training at the same time, mainly in acting, through a series of internships. An acrobat and juggler, Jeannot's specialty is artistic bicycling. In 1989, he spent some time at the Centre national des arts du cirque (CNAC) in Chalon sur Marne, France. He was a member of the Québec-based Cirque du Tonnerre company in 1990-1991, and he earned a bronze medal at the 1992 Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris for his artistic bicycling presentation. He then joined Cirque du Soleil on tour, which took him on his first trip to Japan. In 1993, Jeannot founded Cirque Éloize with Daniel Cyr and Claudette Morin. During the early years, he performed on stage and directed the company's productions. In 1998, he left the stage to dedicate himself fully to the direction of Cirque Éloize. He has continued to focus on the company's evolution ever since, working in collaboration with Julie Hamelin, who is responsible for international development. In 2001, Jeannot staged the first version of the show entitled Cirque Orchestra. The integration of other forms of entertainment with acrobatics is a driving force for Jeannot, and this vision demands the support of creators in the theatre and contemporary dance milieus. In 2001, Jeannot and Julie Hamelin met Daniele Finzi Pasca, a stage director and founder of Teatro Sunil, who has become a major influence on Cirque Éloize. Finzi Pasca has created two shows for the company: Nomade - At night, the sky is endless, for which Jeannot was responsible for artistic direction and collaborated on the writing; and Rain, for which the Painchaud-Hamelin team assumed responsibility the artistic direction. Jeannot is also the artistic direction and staging advisor for Typo, a show produced by Theatre T & Co., which was created by the directors of Cirque Éloize. In 2003, Jeannot founded the first North American Circus Festival, the Semaine des arts du Cirque, which was held in the Magdalen Islands, where he was raised. A self-directed artist and entrepreneur, Jeannot's extensive travels have taken him to more than 30 countries, and today, he continues to pursue his dream and primary mission: to have the circus arts recognized as a full art form. Jeannot Painchaud is also head of the Special Events department at Cirque Éloize, where he is responsible for the stage direction and development of customized concepts for large-scale projects that are presented around the world, including galas, corporate events, special television presentations, and more. In 2005, Jeannot was invited by Daniele Finzi Pasca and Teatro Sunil to join the creative team for the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. The 7-person team included 5 members of Teatro Sunil and 2 members of Cirque Éloize. As assistant to the stage director, Jeannot was in charge of the acrobatic components of the ceremony. Today, Jeannot Painchaud and Julie Hamelin are Co-Directors of Cirque Éloize. Nebbia, a new creation, will emerge in 2007, specifically the third component of a trilogy initiated by Nomade and followed by Rain. Written by Daniele Finzi Pasca, this creation will be the product of a co-production by Cirque Éloize and Teatro Sunil, a company founded by the latter. Jeannot Painchaud will serve as the Director of Creation.
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JULIE HAMELIN Cirque Éloize Co-founder and Co-director - Creative Producer
After studying psychology and communications in university, Julie Hamelin pursued her career in cinema before entering the world of the circus. She joined Cirque Éloize a few months after it was founded as assistant to Claudette Morin, who was General Manager at the time. Following Claudette's departure in 1998, Julie continued to build the Company with Jeannot Painchaud, and soon became one of its key players. She works in several areas within the Company, including marketing, where she helps to define the image of the young company, both nationally and internationally; market development, where she oversees the international outreach of productions; and creatively in the area of artistic direction, in collaboration with Jeannot Painchaud. In 1999, Julie propelled the company onto the international market by producing a four-week series of the Excentricus show at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, hosting 150 international producers and presenters in the process. In 2001, she signed a partnership agreement with the largest talent agency in the United States, and has forged major partnerships in several European markets. Thanks to Julie's international development, the Company has presented more than 3,000 performances in more than 20 countries, and has participated in many prestigious international festivals. In 2001, Julie and Jeannot initiated and cultivated a relationship with Daniele Finzi Pasca and his company, Teatro Sunil. This partnership led to the creation of Nomade - At night, the sky is endless in 2002, followed by Rain in 2004. In 2003, she brought together partners for the production of the show Rain for which, as Creative Producer, she plays a determining role in the shows artistic direction. During that same time period, Julie Hamelin and Jeannot Painchaud founded Theatre T. & Co, which produced and supervised the international promotion of a show by Jamie Adkins entitled Typo. Adkins is an artist whose evolution in Excentricus was observed with great interest. In 2004, Julie developed a strategy that resulted in Rain being presented on Broadway for a six-week run, where it piqued the interest of the press and major producers. She subsequently developed the strategy for the presentation of a four-week run in a key theatre on the San Francisco Broadway circuit. Once again, the show garnered rave reviews from the press, and from producers on the American West Coast. The result: In 2006, Julie signed a partnership with two of the most important producers on Broadway. In the summer of 2005, Julie was invited by Daniele Finzi Pasca and Teatro Sunil to join the creative team that assisted Finzi Pasca in the creation and production of the closing ceremonies for the XXth Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. As "First Assistant Stage Director", Julie helped Finzi Pasca with the writing of the closing ceremonies, and was responsible for monitoring the progress of the project up to the point where the finishing touches were put on the final script. She also worked with the production department on the production process, and was responsible for overseeing the design of all group choreographies for the production team. Today, Julie Hamelin and Jeannot Painchaud are Co-Directors of Cirque Éloize. Nebbia, a new creation, will emerge in 2007, specifically the third component of a trilogy initiated by Nomade and followed by Rain. Written by Daniele Finzi Pasca, this creation will be the product of a co-production by Cirque Éloize and Teatro Sunil, a company founded by the latter. Julie Hamelin will serve as the Creative Producer and will oversee the international release of the new production.
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GUILLAUME LORD Set Design
A versatile set designer, Guillaume Lord is equally interested in dance and theatre, opera and film. Through his association with choreographer Jean Grand-Maître, he has worked with some of the world's most prestigious ballet companies. In theatre, he regularly collaborates with director Serge Denoncourt. Their teamwork garnered him the Gascon-Roux award as well as the trophy for the best set design at the Gala des Masques for Le temps et la ch a m b re in 1995. He also designed the sets for the Arturo Bra chetti Show, which toured the world.
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MÉRÉDITH CARON Costume Design
has designed sets and costumes for many major theatrical events in Montreal. She has close to 200 stage and film credits, including Le Songe d’une nuit d’été, La vie est un songe, La Serva Amorosa and Don Juan, which earned her Théâtre du Nouveau M o n d e ’s Gascon-Roux award. She also garnered a Masque and Gemini for Best Costumes for Don Juan, as well as another Best Costumes Gemini for the film J’t’aime gros gros gros. Since 1998, she has been invited to the Stratford Festival. In addition, she teaches art history and costume design at the National Theatre School of Canada.
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MARTIN LABRECQUE Lighting Design
Known for the originality and texture of his lighting, Martin Labrecque has done the lighting design for nearly 90 productions so far. In 2001, he won a Masque Award for lighting design for his work on Mikhaïl Ougarov‘s L’homme en lambeau. In 2005 he won a Masque Award for his lighting design on Le peintre des madones directed by Serge Denoncourt. He also co-written Everybody’s Welles pour tous with actor-writer Patrice Dubois which was honored as the best Montreal production in 2005. He collaborated on many of Daniele Finzi Pasca’s projects such as Rain- Comme une pluie dans tes yeux and Nomade- La nuit , le ciel est plus grand from Cirque Eloize. He also worked on Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo.
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KRZYSZTOF SOROCZYNSKI Head Trainer, Acrobatic Group Acts Designer, Casting Agent
A lifelong circus lover, Krzysztof Soroczynski began his acrobatic career in Poland in 1965. He worked with Cirque du Soleil first as a performer and then as a trainer. A co-founder of the Verdun Circus School, he joined the Cirque Éloize troupe in 1999, becoming head trainer and talent scout. He has passed his passion on to his son, who appears in Nomade – At night, the sky is endless.
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MARIA BONZANIGO Music Composer & Arrangements on Recorded Soundtrack
In 1984, Maria joined Teatro Sunil and, together with the troupe's founder, Daniele Finzi Pasca, quickly became one of its pillars. Not only is her music part of most of the company's shows, she also contributes to the majority of productions in her capacity as actress, dancer, stage director and choreographer. Maria studied composition with Paul Glass and dance with Rosalia Chladek. In 1996, her piece for flute, oboe and cello entitled Trialogo was included on a CD produced by Jecklin. Teatro Sunil has also issued two CDs based on her finest incidental music. She co-composed music and serves as assistant to the director in the closing ceremonies of the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino 2006.
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LUCIE CAUCHON Music Composer & Arrangements for Live Music
A trained pianist with expertise in classical music and jazz, Lucie Cauchon has composed for the jazz band “A Few Colors,” worked in television, and accompanied many singers. From 1987 to 1990 she traveled with Cirque du Soleil as tour musician. This is her third collaboration with Cirque Éloize: she previously composed the music and conducted the orchestra for Excentricus and co-composed and arranged the music for Nomade. She also composed the music for a clown show called Typo produced by Theatre & Co.
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DANIEL CYR Cirque Éloize Co-founder - Technical & Acrobatic Research & Development
A native of the Magdalen Islands, Daniel Cyr is a cofounder of Cirque Éloize. He studied several years at the National Circus School, and has presented his ladder act at a number of festivals. Over the years, he has worked with many Québec circus troupes. Following the creation of Cirque Éloize, he polished his act, traveling the world for almost nine years with the company's first two productions: Cirque Éloize and Excentricus. In his ongoing artistic quest, he has designed new acts and new apparatuses, including the Cyr Wheel, for which he developed the techniques.
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DOLORES HEREDIA Acting Preparation
Actress, filmmaker and producer Dolores Heredia has been, since 1994, a member of Teatro Sunil. She has also collaborated with El Centro de Expérimentación Teatral, directed by Luis de Tavira, and with La Compañia Nacional de Teatro. In addition, Dolores was invited by José Luis Gomez to join Madrid's El Teatro de la Plaza. In her cinematic career, she has been involved in some 15 feature films. She received the Best Actress award at El Festival Internacional de Cartagena in Colombia and was similarly honored at Le Festival international du cinéma d’Amiens in France. Recently, she played in TeAmo a theatrical piece directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca and presented to Mexican and Quebec audiences
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NICOLAS DESCOTEAUX Moving Lights Programmer
Since 1992, this young talent has conceived numerous lighting designs for Canadian theatrical productions. His technical and artistic knowledge has led him to fruitful collaborations with renowned creators such as Robert Lepage and Marie Chouinard. He has participated in many international tours as lighting director, in addition to working on various events in Quebec. He was nominated for awards by the Académie québécoise du théâtre in 1995 and 1998 and was a Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec winner in 1999 and 2001. He continues to perfect his craft in a variety of artistic fields.
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SUZANNE TRÉPANIER Make-up Design
has been performing modern dance for the past two decades. Over the years, she developed a deep interest in the art of makeup application. While today she works both in television and in film, her preference for the stage arts has led her to concentrate primarily on theatre. She has been the makeup designer for a number of theatrical productions, including Howie Le Rookie (Théâtre de la manufacture), La Poste Populaire Russe and (Oncle) Vania (Théâtre de l'Opsis), and Une si belle chose (Théâtre du Rideau Vert). Rain is her third collaboration with Cirque Éloize after Cirque Orchestra and Nomade.
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ROCH JUTRAS Assistant Director
Roch has performed on stage, in the ring, on television and in film. In 1985 he received National Circus School's student of the year award. The following year he joined the Cirque du Soleil for its production entitled La Magie Continue and continued his collaboration with the company in 1987 in Cirque Réinventé. In 1992 he joined Switzerland's Le Cirque Knie. In 1994-1995 he became Cirque Éloize's very first clown. As a member of the Cirque du Monde project, in 1998 he left for Chile to work with street youth there. He later served for three years as artistic coordinator for the Cirque du Soleil's production Dralion.
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PATRICK LOUBERT Assistant Director & Stage Manager
Trained in set design at Collège Lionel-Groulx, from 1992 to 2000 Patrick worked as assistant director, stage manager, producer and tour director for Avanti Plus. In 2001, he joined the tent tour of the Cheval Theatre as assistant tour director and logistics manager. In 20022003 Patrick joined Cirque Éloize team to direct the American tour of Nomade. Patrick is now part of the Cavalia team as tour director since August 2003.
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