Quidam

This article is about the Cirque du Soleil production. For Polish progressive rock group, see Quidam (band).

Quidam
Company	Cirque du Soleil
Genre	Contemporary circus
Show type	Touring production
Date of premiere	April 23, 1996
Creative team
Writer and director	Franco Dragone
Director of creation	Gilles Ste-Croix
Senior artistic director	Richard Dagenais
Artistic director	Fabrice Lemire
Composer	Benoît Jutras
Costume designer	Dominique Lemieux
Set designer	Michel Crête
Lighting designer	Luc Lafortune
Choreographer	Debra Brown
Sound designer	François Bergeron
Make-up designer	Nathalie Gagné
Artistic guide	Guy Laliberté
Other information
Preceded by	Alegría (1994)
Succeeded by	O (1998)
Official website

Quidam ( /kiːˈdɑːm/ kee-dahm) is the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has now been watched by millions of spectators around the world. Quidam originated as a big top show since its premiere in Montreal, but has since been converted into an arena format beginning with its 2010 tour in North America.

The entire show is imagined by a bored young girl named Zoé who is alienated and ignored by her parents. She dreams up the whimsical world of Quidam as a means of escaping the monotony of her life.

The show's title refers to the feature character, a man without a head, carrying an umbrella and a bowler hat. Quidam is said to be the embodiment of both everyone and no one at the same time. According to Cirque du Soleil literature "Quidam: a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past. ... One who cries out, sings and dreams within us all."

History

Quidam has won awards for some of its acts throughout its production history.

• Banquine, 1999 Golden Clown at the International Monte Carlo Circus Festival.
• Diabolos, 1995 Gold Medal at Festival du Cirque de Demain

Set and technical information

The minimalistic stage was designed by Michel Crête to represent a monolithic structure such as an airport or train station where people are always coming to and fro. The major set element includes the five, all-aluminum, 120-foot (36.57-meter) arches above the stage, known as the téléphérique. These allow performers to be transported onto and off the stage from above. Each rail of the téléphérique has two trolleys: one to raise and lower the performer or equipment, and the second to transport it onto or off the stage. As for the stage floor itself, it is made of aluminum decks with a perforated, rubber-type mat. The perforations, of which there are over 200,000, allow light to pass through from below the stage, creating various visual effects.

Cast

The cast of Quidam has over 50 acrobats, musicians, singers, and characters, some of which are detailed below.

• Zoé: She is the principal character in Quidam. Although average in nature, she longs for excitement.
• Father: Completely, though unwittingly, self-absorbed. His white shoes are the only indication of a hidden personality.
• Mother: Conveys an air of absence and alienation. Inside her lie fear, frustration, and desire.
• Quidam: The show's titular character, who is anonymous, everyone, and no one. He may have stepped out of a surrealist painting or been conjured up out of Zoé's imagination.
• John: Part game-show host and part substitute teacher who is the guide through the world of Quidam.
• Target: A living human bullseye fired at by everyone, but is always smiling.
• Chiennes Blanches: The silent chorus, the nameless and the faceless, the dehumanized, mechanical crowd, simultaneously leading and following. They also accompany the principal characters as they make their entrances and exits.
• Boum-Boum: Enjoys screaming at the audience and walking away proudly, but will run away if an audience member screams back.
• Rabbit: A minor character who chases and gets chased by other characters.
• Aviator: A character who has skeletal wings who looks like he is not ready to take off.
• Les Égarés: Lost individuals who gather together in the streets and abandoned buildings of Quidam. They perform in the banquine act.

Acts

Quidam combines a mix of acrobatic skills and traditional circus acts. These acts are listed below.

• German wheel: An acrobat performs tricks within a german wheel.
• Diabolos: Four performers manipulate diabolos (i.e. Chinese yo-yo), which are two sticks linked by a string on which a wooden spool balances.
• Aerial contortion in silk
• Skipping ropes: Drawing inspiration from dance, acrobatics, and the art of manipulation, a group of 20 acrobats performs this familiar child's game in a steady stream of solo, duo, and group jumps and figures.
• Aerial hoops: Three performers use hoops attached to the ceiling to perform various tricks.
• Handbalancing: Using strength and balance, a performer contorts into different poses while on balancing canes.
• Spanish webs: Artists fly over the stage, attached to trolleys on the overhead tracks. In turn or as a group, they occasionally perform a sudden drop, stopped only by the ropes looped around their waists or ankles.
• Statue: Two acrobats perform hand to hand.
• Cloud swing: A unique combination of Trapeze and Spanish web techniques are combined in this act.
• Banquine: An Italian acrobatic tradition going back to the Middle Ages that combines gymnastics and ballet. Showcasing the agility of the human body, up to 15 artists perform sequences of feats and human pyramids with their perfectly synchronized movements.

Acts in rotation

• Juggling: Up to 5 balls fly through the air, with additional manipulation of a briefcase, umbrella, and bowler hat.

Retired acts

• Manipulation
• Aerial straps: Two artists grasp cords that dangle from the overhead rails, sometimes performing on the ground, sometimes in the air.
• Hoops: A sensational routine involving up to 20 spinning hoops that a seductive performer manipulates all over her body, combining the agility and skill of a gymnast with the flexibility of a contortionist, the dexterity of a juggler, and the grace of a ballerina.

Costumes

Quidam's costume designer, Dominique Lemieux, drew inspiration from Surrealist art, particularly the works of René Magritte and Paul Delvaux. The costumes convey the alienation of the characters and represent an urban landscape through the use of painted textures and fabrics. The dominant color throughout Quidam is grey, but is supplemented by deep, rich, warm colors and embellished with metals. Quidam was the first Cirque du Soleil show to utilize everyday clothing for the outfits, although those in the acrobatic acts are modified. The fabric chosen for Quidam is primarily stretch linen, but also includes leather, jute, linen crepe, wool, velvet and 42 types of cotton.

Quidam has approximately 250 costumes, 500 costume accessories, and 200-300 shoes. The reason for the large amount of costumes for the cast is that each artist has anywhere from 2 to 7 costumes, of which there are at least 2 spares. The costumes, although washed every day, can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.

Music

Quidam’s music was composed by Benoît Jutras, and has been released in three album editions featuring additional songs, alternative new cover designs, and higher quality sounds. The first CD was released on January 14, 1997. (ASIN B000003G5M) The album features the voices of Audrey Brisson-Jutras and Mathieu Lavoie, with the exception of two bonus tracks sung by Brisson-Jutras and Richard Price on the extended CD released in 2001 (recorded live in Amsterdam, 1999).

Below is a list of tracks as featured on the original 1997 release, alongside which the acts to which they accompany are listed. The two tracks on the 2001 extended album are also included at the end: Mìsere and Enfant d'Acier.

1. Atmadja (Opening)
2. Incantation (German wheel)
3. Marelle (Interlude)
4. Rivage
   • Manipulation (1996–1998)
   • Juggling (1999–2004, 2006 onward)
5. Zydeko (Skipping ropes)
6. Let Me Fall (Aerial contortion in silk)
7. Innocence (Skipping ropes)
8. Carrousel
   • Clown act
   • Diabolos
   • Aerial hoops
9. Steel Dream
   • Handbalancing (1996–1998)
   • Aerial straps (2004–2005)
10. Seisouso
    • Aerial hoops
    • Cloud swing
11. Réveil (Statues)
12. Quidam (Finale)
13. Misère (Banquine)
14. Enfants d'Acier (Diabolos)

Further information: Cirque du Soleil discography

Tour

Quidam started as a Grand Chapiteau touring show before being fully converted to an arena touring show in 2010. For a short period of time in 2009, Quidam toured the UK and IE in arena format before switching back to Grand Chapiteau when it went to South America.

Cirque du Soleil started using a customized tour bus as a method of helping to advertise Quidam during its tour in the Northeastern part of North America during the fall of 2011. During the shows stops in various cities, the tour bus makes appearances at local merchants allowing people to meet part of the crew.

The following colorboxes indicate the region of each performance:
  EU   Europe   NA   North America   SA   South and Central Americas   AP   Asia/Pacific   OC   Oceania

Arena tour 2009-2011  2009 schedule   EU   Liverpool, UK – From 26 Feb 2009 to 1 Mar 2009   EU   Belfast, UK – From 4 Mar 2009 to 7 Mar 2009   EU   Newcastle, UK – From 12 Mar 2009 to 15 Mar 2009   EU   Birmingham, UK – From 18 Mar 2009 to 22 Mar 2009   EU   Manchester, UK – From 25 Mar 2009 to 27 Mar 2009   EU   Dublin, IE – From 31 Mar 2009 to 5 Apr 2009   EU   Sheffield, UK – From 9 Apr 2009 to 12 Apr 2009   EU   Glasgow, UK – From 16 Apr 2009 to 19 Apr 2009 2010 schedule   NA   Kingston, ON – From 11 Dec 2010 to 14 Dec 2010   NA   Montréal, QC – From 18 Dec 2010 to 30 Dec 2010 2011 schedule   NA   Québec, QC – From 4 Jan 2011 to 9 Jan 2011   NA   Chicoutimi , QC – From 12 Jan 2011 to 16 Jan 2011   NA   Vancouver, BC – From 9 Mar 2011 to 13 Mar 2011   NA   Everett, WA – From 16 Mar 2011 to 20 Mar 2011   NA   San Jose, CA – From 24 Mar 2011 to 27 Mar 2011   NA   San Diego, CA – From 30 Mar 2011 to 3 Apr 2011   NA   San Francisco, CA – From 6 Apr 2011 to 17 Apr 2011   NA   Long Beach, CA – From 20 Apr 2011 to 24 Apr 2011   NA   Ontario, CA – From 27 Apr 2011 to 1 May 2011   NA   Reno, NV – From 4 May 2011 to 8 May 2011   NA   Sacramento, CA – From 11 May 2011 to 15 May 2011   NA   London, ON – From 2 Jun 2011 to 5 Jun 2011   NA   Hamilton, ON – From 8 Jun 2011 to 12 Jun 2011   NA   Wilkes-Barre, PA – From 15 Jun 2011 to 19 Jun 2011   NA   Ottawa, ON – From 22 Jun 2011 to 30 Jun 2011   NA   St. John's, NL – From 6 Jul 2011 to 10 Jul 2011   NA   Saint John, NB – From 13 Jul 2011 to 17 Jul 2011   NA   Halifax, NS – From 20 Jul 2011 to 24 Jul 2011   NA   Providence, RI – From 27 Jul 2011 to 31 Jul 2011   NA   Hershey, PA – From 18 Aug 2011 to 21 Aug 2011   NA   Baltimore, MD – From 24 Aug 2011 to 28 Aug 2011   NA   Hartford, CT – From 31 Aug 2011 to 4 Sep 2011   NA   Boston, MA – From 7 Sep 2011 to 11 Sep 2011   NA   State College, PA – From 14 Sep 2011 to 18 Sep 2011   NA   Fort Wayne, IN – From 21 Sep 2011 to 25 Sep 2011   NA   Albany, NY – From 28 Sep 2011 to 2 Oct 2011   NA   Amherst, MA – From 5 Oct 2011 to 9 Oct 2011   NA   Pittsburgh, PA – From 12 Oct 2011 to 16 Oct 2011   NA   Milwaukee, WI – From 19 Oct 2011 to 23 Oct 2011   NA   Philadelphia, PA – From 10 Nov 2011 to 13 Nov 2011   NA   Washington, DC – From 16 Nov 2011 to 20 Nov 2011   NA   Greenville, SC – From 23 Nov 2011 to 27 Nov 2011   NA   Fayetteville, NC – From 30 Nov 2011 to 4 Dec 2011   NA   Hampton, VA – From 7 Dec 2011 to 11 Dec 2011   NA   Worcester, MA – From 14 Dec 2011 to 18 Dec 2011   NA   Toronto, ON – From 20 Dec 2011 to 30 Dec 2011 2012 schedule   NA   Oshawa, ON - From 4 Jan 2012 to 8 Jan 2012   NA   Windsor, ON - From 11 Jan 2012 to 15 Jan 2012   NA   Detroit, MI - From 2 Feb 2012 to 5 Feb 2012   NA   Hoffman Estates, IL - From 8 Feb 2012 to 12 Feb 2012   NA   Springfield, IL - From 15 Feb 2012 to 19 Feb 2012   NA   Baton Rouge, LA - From 22 Feb 2012 to 26 Feb 2012   NA   Austin, TX - From 29 Feb 2012 to 4 Mar 2012   NA   Frisco, TX - From 7 Mar 2012 to 11 Mar 2012   NA   San Antonio, TX - From 14 Mar 2012 to 18 Mar 2012   NA   Champaign, IL - From 21 Mar 2012 to 25 Mar 2012   NA   Roanoke, VA - From 28 Mar 2012 to 1 Apr 2012   NA   Knoxville, TN - From 4 Apr 2012 to 8 Apr 2012   NA   Evansville, IN - From 26 Apr 2012 to 29 Apr 2012   NA   Green Bay, WI - From 1 May 2012 to 2 May 2012   NA   Rockford, IL - From 13 Jun 2012 to 17 Jun 2012   NA   St. Louis, MO - From 20 Jun 2012 to 24 Jun 2012   NA   Indianapolis, IN - Coming soon   NA   Winnipeg, MB - From 19 Jul 2012 to 22 Jul 2012   NA   Regina, SK - From 25 Jul 2012 to 29 Jul 2012   NA   Edmonton, AB - From 8 Aug 2012 to 12 Aug 2012   NA   Kamloops, BC - From 15 Aug 2012 to 19 Aug 2012   NA   Kelowna, BC - From 22 Aug 2012 to 26 Aug 2012   NA   Abbotsford, BC - From 29 Aug 2012 to 2 Sep 2012   NA   Victoria, BC - From 5 Sep 2012 to 9 Sep 2012   NA   Honolulu, HI - From 4 Oct 2012 to 14 Oct 2012

Grand Chapiteau tour 1996 schedule   NA   Montréal, QC – From 23 Apr 1996 (show première)   NA   Ste-Foy, QC – From 4 Jul 1996   NA   Toronto, ON – From 8 Aug 1996   NA   Santa Monica, CA – From 25 Sep 1996 1997-2010  1997 schedule   NA   Costa Mesa, CA – From 29 Jan 1997   NA   Santa Monica, CA – From 24 Apr 1997   NA   Oakland, CA – From 29 May 1997 to 20 Jul 1997   NA   San Jose, CA – From 31 Jul 1997   NA   Denver, CO – From 30 Sep 1997   NA   Houston, TX – From 20 Nov 1997 1998 schedule   NA   Dallas, TX – From 11 Feb 1998 to 22 Mar 1998   NA   New York, NY – From 8 Apr 1998   NA   Chicago, IL – From 22 Jul 1998 to 23 Aug 1998   NA   Washington, DC – From 17 Sep 1998   NA   Atlanta, GA – From 29 Oct 1998 to 29 Nov 1998 1999 schedule   EU   Amsterdam, NL – From 1 May 1999   EU   Berlin, DE – From 1 Jul 1999   EU   Vienna, AT – From 1 Sep 1999   EU   Madrid, ES – From 3 Nov 1999 to 9 Jan 2000 2000 schedule   EU   Barcelona, ES – From 20 Jan 2000 to 19 Mar 2000   EU   Valencia, ES – From 3 Mar 2000 to 16 Apr 2000   EU   Bilbao, ES – From 18 May 2000 to 4 Jun 2000   EU   Rotterdam, NL – From 12 Jul 2000 to 15 Aug 2000   EU   Düsseldorf, DE – From 31 Aug 2000   EU   Frankfurt, DE – From 26 Oct 2000 to 3 Dec 2000   EU   London, UK – From 15 Dec 2000 to 26 Jan 2001 2001 schedule   EU   Manchester, UK – From 16 Feb 2001 to 4 Mar 2001   EU   Antwerp, BE – From 5 Apr 2001 to 20 May 2001   EU   Hamburg, DE – From 31 May 2001   EU   Copenhagen, DK – From 26 Jul 2001 to 25 Aug 2001   EU   Zurich, CH – From 14 Sep 2001 to 4 Nov 2001   EU   London, UK – From 22 Nov 2001 to 30 Dec 2001 2002 schedule   NA   Miami, FL – From 7 Feb 2002 to 17 Mar 2002   NA   Charlotte, NC – From 29 Mar 2002 to 14 Apr 2002   NA   Pittsburgh, PA – From 9 May 2002 to 26 May 2002   NA   Detroit, MI – From 20 Jun 2002 to 14 Jul 2002   NA   Boston, MA – From 25 Jul 2002 to 15 Sep 2002   NA   Cleveland, OH – From 26 Sep 2002 to 13 Oct 2002   NA   St. Petersburg, FL – From 7 Nov 2002 to 8 Dec 2002 2003 schedule   AP   Tokyo, JP – From 7 Feb 2003 to 5 May 2003   AP   Nagoya, JP – From 31 May 2003 to 6 Jul 2003   AP   Osaka, JP – From 19 Jul 2003 to 30 Sep 2003   AP   Fukuoka, JP – From 22 Oct 2003 to 7 Dec 2003   AP   Tokyo, JP – From 24 Dec 2003 to 4 Apr 2004 2004 schedule   NA   Vancouver, BC – From 6 May 2004 to 13 Jun 2004   NA   Calgary, AB – From 24 Jun 2004 to 31 Jul 2004   OC   Sydney, AU – From 12 Aug 2004   OC   Brisbane, AU – From 4 Nov 2004 to 12 Dec 2004   OC   Auckland, NZ – From 31 Dec 2004 to 12 Feb 2005 2005 schedule   OC   Melbourne, AU – From 4 Mar 2005 to 1 May 2005   OC   Adelaide, AU – From 12 May 2005 to 12 Jun 2005   OC   Perth, AU – From 30 Jun 2005 to 31 Jul 2005   AP   Singapore, SG – From 9 Sep 2005 to 15 Oct 2005   AP   Hong Kong, HK – From 3 Nov 2005 to 16 Dec 2005 2006 schedule   NA   San Diego, CA – From 19 Jan 2006 to 26 Feb 2006   NA   Long Beach, CA – From 9 Mar 2006 to 16 Apr 2006   NA   Ottawa, ON – From 18 May 2006 to 25 Jun 2006   NA   Philadelphia, PA – From 6 Jul 2006 to 13 Aug 2006   NA   Cincinnati, OH – From 24 Aug 2006 to 17 Sep 2006   NA   St. Louis, MO – From 28 Sep 2006 to 22 Oct 2006 2007 schedule   AP   Dubai, AE – From 4 Jan 2007 to 18 Feb 2007   AP   Seoul, KR – From 20 Mar 2007 to 3 Jun 2007   AP   Shanghai, CN – From 28 Jun 2007 to 26 Aug 2007   NA   Guadalajara, MX – From 11 Oct 2007 to 4 Nov 2007   NA   Mexico City, MX – From 15 Nov 2007 to 13 Jan 2008 2008 schedule   NA   Monterrey, MX – From 24 Jan 2008 to 10 Feb 2008   NA   Veracruz, MX – From 27 Feb 2008 to 16 Mar 2008   EU   Lisbon, PT – From 17 Apr 2008 to 25 May 2008   EU   Málaga, ES – From 5 Jun 2008 to 13 Jul 2008   EU   Alicante, ES – From 24 Jul 2008 to 31 Aug 2008   EU   Barcelona, ES – From 11 Sep 2008 to 19 Oct 2008   EU   Brussels, BE – From 30 Oct 2008 to 21 Dec 2008 2009 schedule   EU   London, UK – From 4 Jan 2009 to 15 Feb 2009 Quidam switched to an Arena format for the remainder of its time in IE and UK.   SA   Fortaleza, BR – From 4 Jun 2009 to 21 Jun 2009   SA   Recife, BR – From 9 Jul 2009 to 2 Aug 2009   SA   Salvador, BR – From 13 Aug 2009 to 31 Aug 2009   SA   Brasília, BR – From 18 Sep 2009 to 11 Oct 2009   SA   Belo Horizonte, BR – From 23 Oct 2009 to 15 Nov 2009   SA   Curitiba, BR – From 27 Nov 2009 to 20 Dec 2009 2010 schedule   SA   Rio de Janeiro, BR – From 7 Jan 2010 to 7 Feb 2010   SA   São Paulo, BR – From 19 Feb 2010 to 11 Apr 2010   SA   Porto Alegre, BR – From 23 Apr 2010 to 16 May 2010   SA   Buenos Aires, AR – From 28 May 2010 to 27 Jun 2010   SA   Santiago, CL – From 11 Jul 2010 to 15 Aug 2010   SA   Lima, PE – From 3 Sep 2010 to 26 Sep 2010   SA   Bogota, CO – From 19 Oct 2010 to 21 Nov 2010

See also

• Solstrom

External links

• Cirque du Soleil's Official Quidam site
• Patrick McGuire's Quidam Manipulation
• Zoe Actress Interviews by A Girl's World
• Cirque du Soleil Quidam in Ontario, California, 2011