James Lavoie - Teaching artist, Set and Costume Design

James Lavoie is a Montréal based set and costume designer for theatre, circus and other live events. He has designed over 100 productions that have been experienced by audiences across both North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
A regular collaborator of the Cirque du Soleil, James has designed the costumes for their permanent show, JOYA in Riviera Maya, Mexico, which has been playing since 2014. In 2019 he designed the costumes for MESSI10, premiering in Barcelona before continuing on its world tour, and that same year he created the costumes for ‘Twas the Night Before, premiering at New York’s Madison Square Gardens. He also designed the costumes for the touring show BAZAAR, for REFLEKT for EXPO17 in Astana, Kazakhstan and for two years of Les Chemins Invisible in Quebec City. James has also worked with the 7 Doigts de la Main to design the costumes for their show The Last Chapter in the United Arab Emirates. He has also regularly collaborated with the Chilean circus company Circo Jumbo.
In theatre, James’ work has been recognized 6 times by the Montreal Critics Circle Awards (MECCA) and Montreal English theatre Awards (META) for best set and/or costume design. He has also received Ottawa’s Capital Critic’s Circle Award for best set and costume Design in 2014. His career has been marked by his contribution to the creation of numerous new Canadian plays, including set and costume design for: Jordan Tannahill’s Botticelli in the Fire and Sunday In Sodom at Canadian Stage, the English-language premiere of Olivier Choinière’s Bliss at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto, the English-language premiere of Catherine-Anne Toupin’s MOB at Centaur Theatre, Micheal Mackenzie’s Instructions to Any Future Socialist Government and Bryden McDonald’s Bated Breath also at the Centaur Theatre, among many others. Other notable theatre productions include; set and costume design for Grease produced by Juste Pour Rire in Montréal, set and costume design for Innocence Lost at Canada’s National Arts Centre and the Segal Center’s Sherlock featuring Jay Baruchel and the subsequent North American tour featuring David Arquette.
James holds a Master’s Degree from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (London, UK) in Scenography: performance design and practice. From 2009 - 2018 James was also a regular coach and teacher for set and costume design students at the National Theatre School of Canada, and a regular guest lecturer at Concordia University.

Updated: July 14, 2022

Teachers in Set & Costume Design