Variously described as "the alchemist of modern imagistic theatre" and a "revered actor and director" by The Guardian, Robert Lepage's hyper-imaginative, highly visual work for theater, films and Cirque du Soleil stands out so much that the term "Lepage magic" has even become part of the arts vocabulary.

Yet despite also being known for his relentless globe-trotting, this 57-year-old Canadian who grew up as a French-speaker in Quebec City spent most of this summer in Scotland.

There, in what was a hot-ticket headliner, he performed his new work "887" — a solo, neo-autobiographical play he wrote and directed — to audiences at the Edinburgh International Festival, the world's biggest theater event.