Pierre Masse
Acrobatic Rigging and Equipment Designer (IRIS)
Pierre Masse, who grew up in a show business family, has worked behind the scenes in just about every genre of the performing arts for the past 25 years. He was involved in major productions with the Opéra de Montréal and the Grands Ballets Canadiens as well as a production of Les Misérables.
Pierre was appointed head carpenter and automation specialist for Celine Dion’s Falling Into You world tour from 1995-97 and stayed on as head carpenter and stage manager for her Let's Talk About Love world tour from 1997-2000. He followed that with his appointment as Senior Project Manager, Automation on A New Day, her long-running Las Vegas show.
Pierre first worked for Cirque du Soleil in 1996 as an automation consultant for the show Quidam. Soon after that he became involved in the development of other Cirque projects and went on to work on the Cirque shows Varekai, Zumanity, KÀ and CRISS ANGEL Believe. IRIS is Pierre’s second Cirque du Soleil (after TOTEM) as Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer.
For Pierre, the most sophisticated piece of engineering on the stage is the human body: “It never ceases to amaze me to see what the artists are capable of doing.”
"In IRIS, the acrobatic equipment is more integrated than ever in the set and is really part of the action," he adds. “One of the technical challenges of the show is that we have to strike and store all the equipment and sets for two months every year to make way for the Oscars. IRIS is a permanent theatre show dressed up like a touring show."
Pierre Masse was born in La Prairie, Quebec.