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UNLV Libraries Main Page -> Architecture Studies Library -> Las Vegas Guides and Collections -> Las Vegas Architects and Buildings Database -> People
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Michel Crete

Primary Profession: Technical Personnel
Location(s):
  • Southern Nevada
Projects
Notes & References: A perfectionist by even the most exacting standards, artist Michel Crête believes the greatest threat to creativity is satisfaction. Michel Crête began his studies at Quebec’s Conservatory of Dramatic Art when he was 27, and in 1985, began his career at Montreal’s Théatre de 4 sous. With his talent for set design, décor and costumes, Crête joined Cirque du Soleil where he designed the costumes for Le Cirque Réinventé (1987). Endlessly creative and non-conformist, he moved on to prove that his true genius was in set design and he guided Cirque du Soleil’s journey throughout the 1990s as a magnificent theatre set replaced the traditional circus ring. Crête soon found an accomplice in Franco Dragone and together they collaborated on Cirque du Soleil’s evolution from Big Top to the over-the-top theatres for “O”, Mystère and La Nouba.

From 1990 to 1998, the environments for all of Cirque du Soleil's productions sprang from Michel Crête's imagination: he was the one responsible for the scenography of Nouvelle Expérience, Fascination, Saltimbanco, Mystère, Alegría, Quidam, "O", and La Nouba. He also had a hand in designing the three theatres that house Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas and Orlando. In 1998, Michel Crête received the Entertainment Design "Production of the Year" award for "O".

Michel Crête came to Cirque du Soleil in 1986 as costume designer for the show We Reinvent the Circus. His creations for that show, which was also recorded for television, won him a Gémeaux and a Gemini (awards recognizing the work of television artisans in Canada) for best costumes for a variety show.

After graduating from the Scenography Program at the National Theatre School of Canada in 1984, Michel Crête quickly became one of the most sought-after theatre set designers in Montreal. Between 1985 and 1991, he designed costumes and sets for nearly forty plays, working with renowned directors and rising stars on the Quebec theatre scene. Three times in a row, from 1989 to 1991, Montreal's Théâtre du Nouveau Monde awarded him its Prix Gascon-Roux for best set design.

In 2001, he designed the big top and created the set for Cheval, a production of the Cheval-Théâtre company founded by Gilles Ste-Croix




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