2015–16 Birmingham Season

2015–16 Birmingham Season
BIRMINGHAM
ROYAL BALLET
at home in Birmingham
As we open our 25th season in
Birmingham, we thank you for
your continuing welcome in the
City. Your support is what keeps
us going, so we’re delighted to
announce this sparkling new
season dedicated to the City of
Birmingham.
We believe that no other theatrical
experience can match the artistry
and spectacle of Birmingham
Royal Ballet: 60 dancers from
around the world, living and
working full-time in the City; the
Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the
country’s only ballet-specialist
orchestra, accompanying each
performance; the scale and quality
of our productions, ranging from
beloved full-length classics to oneact gems.
Among the year’s highlights:
l We present Balanchine’s Theme and Variations,
which was included in the Company’s first
performance in 1990, as part of a joyful triple bill
this autumn.
l The Nutcracker, created as a gift to the City of
Birmingham, turns 25 as it returns for Christmas.
l Our year-long 2016
Dancing
hakespeare
celebration of Shakespeare
begins with Frederick Ashton’s
witty take on A Midsummer Night's Dream.
S
l New (and new to us) ballets by Jessica Lang and
José Limón arrive in summer.
Come and celebrate ballet and Birmingham with us
this season!
David Bintley, Director
New-look subscription packages
Our subscription packages have been remodelled this
year to oer a choice of xed-date packages of six or
three productions, or a design-your-own package of
four or more productions.
Book your subscription package now and you can
include additional individual tickets for any of the
shows before they go on public sale.
For full package details, see the back of this brochure.
F ull Season package
Mixed Bills package
Three story ballets and three
sparkling mixed bills, for one
affordable price.
The three mixed-bill
programmes of the season:
the Variations triple bill,
Ashton double bill and
Shakespeare triple bill.
Secure your seat, keep it for
the whole year, and have first
dibs to renew it next season.
Story Ballet package
Design-Your-Own package
Includes Swan Lake, Romeo
and Juliet and The Taming of
the Shrew.
Select four or more
productions and save 10%.
See only those ballets you
want and get tickets before
they are available to the
general public.
The Christmas ballet is no longer included in subscription packages, but can be
added to your order at full price and purchased on priority before the general
public.
Ballet’s greatest love story returns
in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s
lavish production. This romantic
fable of ill-fated passion,
powerfully illuminated by
Tchaikovsky’s legendary score, has
bewitched viewers for generations.
By a moonlit lake, a grieving prince
witnesses the transformation of a swan into
a beautiful princess. Compelled by an evil
spell to spend her days in the form of a bird,
she can only be saved by the power of love.
Filled with exquisite ensembles, lyrical
pas de deux, and bravura solos, this
Swan Lake is atmospheric, romantic, and
beautiful – an unforgettable experience.
Swan Lake
‘One of the world’s
finest productions
of the ballet’
The Observer
Cover and above: Céline Gittens as Odette and Tyrone Singleton as
Siegfried; photos: Roy Smiljanic, Andrew Ross, Bill Cooper
28 September –
6 October 2015
Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov
and Peter Wright
Production Peter Wright and Galina
Samsova
Designs Philip Prowse
Lighting Peter Teigen
With Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by
Paul Murphy and Philip Ellis
Variations
Triple bill
8 – 10 October 2015
Join us as we celebrate 25 years in Birmingham with three contrasting
ballets that showcase the company’s extraordinary range: classical,
abstract and characterfully English.
Joyful and grand, Theme and Variations
(which launched the Company’s 1990
season) is George Balanchine’s love letter to
classical Russian ballet, set to the final
movement of Tchaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite
No.3. Abstract ballet Kin. by former
Company dancer Alexander Whitley (twice
nominated for Critics’ Circle National Dance
THEME AND VARIATIONS
Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography George Balanchine
© The George Balanchine Trust
Designs Peter Farmer
Lighting Peter Teigen
awards) is an athletic piece danced to a
pulsing, hypnotic score by Phil Kline. And
Enigma Variations, an elegant and eccentric
character ballet, is Frederick Ashton’s
poignant depiction of Edward Elgar and
his friends.
Theme and Variations: Momoko Hirata and César Morales;
photo: Bill Cooper
KIN.
Music Phil Kline
Choreography Alexander Whitley
Designs Jean-Marc Puissant
Lighting Peter Teigen
ENIGMA VARIATIONS
Music Edward Elgar
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Designs Julia Trevelyan Oman
Lighting Mark Jonathan
With Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by
Paul Murphy and Philip Ellis
Shakespeare
Dancing
In this programme
of one-act ballets,
we focus on works
by one of England’s
most inuential
choreographers,
Sir Frederick Ashton,
and his deft hand at
characterisation and
narrative through dance.
Ashton
Double bill
In The Dream, love gets
out of hand for mortals
and fairies alike in an
elegant and witty distillation
of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Created in 1964
to mark Shakespeare’s
birthday, The Dream kicks off
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s
year-long commemoration of
400 years since his death.
Alongside it, we offer A Month
in the Country, inspired by
Turgenev’s play. The story of a
bored housewife, a charming
young man, and a dreaming
girl makes a poignant
romantic tale.
The Dream: Matthew Lawrence as
Oberon; photo: Bill Cooper
17 – 20 February 2016
THE DREAM
Music Felix Mendelssohn
Arranged by John Lanchbery
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Designs Peter Farmer
Lighting John B. Read
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY
Music Frederick Chopin
Arranged by John Lanchbery
Choreography Frederick Ashton
Designs Julia Trevelyan Oman
With Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by
Paul Murphy
Shakespeare
Dancing
Romeo
and
Love at first dance,
forbidden passions,
dangerous secrets and starcrossed fate combine in an
exhilarating classic ballet.
Kenneth MacMillan’s bestloved adaptation of this
famous play continues
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s
2016 Shakespeare
celebration.
Set to Prokofiev’s soaring
score, Romeo and Juliet tells
the familiar tale of two young
lovers at the mercy of
powerful families and their
own hearts. From the
balcony scene’s ecstatic
pas de deux to the lovers’
heart-breaking ends, Romeo
and Juliet has been an
audience favourite since its
first performance.
Molly Smolen as Juliet and Tiit Helimets
as Romeo; photo: Bill Cooper
24 – 27 February 2016
Music Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography Kenneth MacMillan
Designs Paul Andrews
Lighting John B. Read
With Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by
Koen Kessels and Paul Murphy
uliet
The
Taming
the
Choreographer John Cranko
adapts Shakespeare’s tale of
mismatched marriage to create
his undoubted masterpiece.
In this sparkling comedy,
independent and tempestuous
Kate gives her suitor Petruchio
considerably more than he
bargained for.
Cranko breathes new
life into this witty battle of
the sexes, set to a baroque score by
Domenico Scarlatti, and achieves a
memorable and truly funny mix of
comedy, romance and bravura
dancing.
Greta Hodgkinson as Kate and Jason Reilly as
Petruchio; photo: Cylla von Tiedemann,
courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada
16 – 18 June 2016
Music Domenico Scarlatti
Arranged by Kurt-Heinz Stolze
Choreography John Cranko
Designs Susan Benson
With Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by
Wolfgang Heinz and Philip Ellis
Shakespeare
Dancing
of
Shrew
Shakespeare
Dancing
Shakespeare
Triple bill
22 – 25 June 2016
Our celebration of Shakespeare continues with a combination of tragedy,
comedy and poetry, all translated into dance.
José Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane distils the
passion and drama of Shakespeare’s Othello
into a thrilling one-act tragedy, tightly
focussed on four characters and their
jealousy. David Bintley’s The Shakespeare
Suite sets a collection of the Bard’s bestloved characters to a swinging Duke
Ellington score and offers a quicksilver visit
THE SONNETS
Choreography Jessica Lang
With Royal Ballet Sinfonia and members of
Colin Towns’ Mask Orchestra, conducted by
Paul Murphy and Philip Ellis
to Shakespearean couples of every sort,
star-crossed, bewitched, squabbling, and
romantic, plus a powerhouse solo. Finally
Jessica Lang captures the poetry of
The Sonnets in this world premiere work.
The Moor’s Pavane: Veronika Part and Cory Stearns; photo:
Gene Schiavone, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre
THE MOOR’S PAVANE
Music Henry Purcell
Arranged by Simon Sadoff
Choreography José Limón
Costumes Pauline Lawrence
THE SHAKESPEARE SUITE
Music Duke Ellington
Choreography David Bintley
Sets and Lighting Steve Scott
Costumes Jasper Conran
ADD TO YOUR ORDER WHEN YOU BUY A SUBSCRIPTION
Nutcracker
Sir Peter Wright’s production of
The
There’s no better sign that Christmas
approaches than the arrival of
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s evergreen
production of The Nutcracker.
Brimming with festive energy, this
ballet charms young and old alike.
When a young girl sneaks downstairs
on Christmas eve to play with her new
nutcracker doll, she is swept up in a
fantastic journey, filled with toy
soldiers, sugar plum fairies, and of
course her handsome prince. This
world-famous production by Sir Peter
Wright, with exquisite designs by John
Macfarlane, is acclaimed as one of the
best in the world.
Karla Doorbar as Clara; photo: Bill Cooper
27 November –
13 December 2015
Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon
Production Peter Wright
Designs John F. Macfarlane
Lighting David A. Finn
With Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Koen Kessels,
Paul Murphy and Philip Ellis
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Monday
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
28
29
30
Swan Lake
Swan Lake
7.30
7.30
5
Swan Lake
Swan Lake
2.00
7.30
Swan Lake
7.30
7.30
8
Variations
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
23
24
25
30
Nutcracker
Nutcracker
7.30
7
7.30
8
Nutcracker
7.30
FEBRUARY
15
16
Nutcracker
7.30
22
2.00
17
7.30
23
2.00
Romeo
7.30
2.00
2.30
7.30
28
29
2.30
1.00
7.30
7.30
4
Nutcracker
7.30
5
Nutcracker
18
19
Ashton
7.30
7.30
Nutcracker
2.30
1.00
7.30
12
7.30
7.30
13
Nutcracker
Nutcracker
2.30
1.00
7.30
20
21
Ashton
2.30
26
Romeo
6
Nutcracker
11
7.30
Romeo
11
2.00
25
24
10
Nutcracker
7.30
Ashton
7.30
Nutcracker
10
Nutcracker
2.30
Nutcracker
7.30
9
Ashton
February
2.00
Swan Lake
27
3
Nutcracker
4
Variations
7.30
26
2
1
2.00
Variations
Sunday
3
9
7.30
2.00
2.00
2
Swan Lake
7
Swan Lake
Saturday
1
7.30
6
Friday
7.30
27
28
Romeo
2.30
7.30
JUNE
13
14
15
16
Taming
Taming
7.30
20
21
2.00
7.30
18
2.30
7.30
23
24
25
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
2.00
Silver ticket price band
7.30
7.30
Gold ticket price band
19
Taming
22
7.30
Bronze ticket price band
17
2.30
26
7.30
See booking form for prices
Subscription Packages
These three fixed-date options offer you the best seats at great prices…
Full Season ‘keep-your-seat’ package
These fixed-date packages are at a great price and secure you the same seat for each performance.
What’s more, with this package only, you can sit in these same seats year after year – they are yours
for as long as you choose this package.
Select your seating area (A+/A–F) and your package to find out what you pay:
A+/A
B
C
D
E/F
Openings and Weekday Matinee packages
£140
£115
£95
£80
£70
Friday and Saturday packages
£210
£160
£135
£110
£95
Packages
Swan
Variations
Ashton
Romeo
Taming
Shakespeare
Openings
28 Sept
8 Oct
17 Feb
24 Feb
16 June
22 June
Weekday matinees
30 Sept
8 Oct*
18 Feb
25 Feb
17 June
23 June
Friday evenings
2 Oct
9 Oct
19 Feb
26 Feb
17 June
24 June
Saturday matinees
3 Oct
10 Oct
20 Feb
27 Feb
18 June
25 June
Saturday evenings
3 Oct
10 Oct
20 Feb
27 Feb
18 June
25 June
* Thursday evening included for this production, as no weekday matinee scheduled
Story Ballet package (Swan Lake / Romeo and Juliet / e Taming of the Shrew)
Choose one of the fixed-date packages below for savings on single ticket prices.
Select your seating area (A+/A–F) to
find out what you pay:
Packages
Swan
Romeo
Taming
Friday evenings
2 Oct
26 Feb
17 June
A+/A
B
C
D
E/F
Saturday matinees
3 Oct
27 Feb
18 June
£125
£105
£90
£75
£60
Saturday evenings
3 Oct
27 Feb
18 June
Mixed Bills package (Variations / Ashton / Shakespeare)
Choose one of the fixed-date packages below for savings on single ticket prices.
Select your seating area (A+/A–D) to
find out what you pay:
A+/A
B
C
D
£50
£35
£25
£20
Packages
Variations
Ashton
Shakespeare
Openings
8 Oct
17 Feb
22 June
Weekday matinees
8 Oct*
18 Feb
23 June
Friday evenings
9 Oct
19 Feb
24 June
Saturday matinees
10 Oct
20 Feb
25 June
Saturday evenings
10 Oct
20 Feb
25 June
* Thursday evening included for this production as no weekday matinee
scheduled
… or, if you need more flexibility, see our Design-Your-Own package option overleaf
Design-Your-Own package (four, ve or six productions)
Pick a ticket for four or more of the productions in our season and save (please note, design-yourown packages cannot include The Nutcracker). See only those ballets you want to see, secure your
tickets before they are available to the general public, and save 10%. All seats must be in the same
seating area (A+/A–F).
Additional individual tickets
You may purchase additional individual tickets at the same time as any subscription package; you
may apply the concessions below as appropriate, and you don’t have to pay the 5% transaction
charge that normally applies to all but subscription ticket sales.
Concessions
Only one concession applicable per ticket
Family: up to two U16s pay half price each when attending with a full-paying adult; Sunday – Friday,
all price bands except A+
Groups of ten or more: 10% off; Sunday – Friday, all price bands except A+
Groups of 20 or more: 15% off, plus one free organiser ticket; Sunday – Friday, all price bands except A+
Disabled patrons: £5 off or 2-for-1 with essential carer. All performances all price bands.
Standby: claimants, full-time students, passport to leisure, best-available seats at lowest published price,
limit two tickets per person from 24 hours in advance.
60+: 10% off, Sunday – Friday, price bands A-C (excluding A+).
School & Youth Groups: £11.50 each; Sunday – Friday, one teacher attends for free with every ten
tickets, price bands C–E. Ticket price includes transaction charge.
BRB Friends: 10% off; Sunday – Friday, all price bands, one ticket per member, per production.
Seating plans
F
E
Circle
Stalls
D
C
B
C
D
D
B
A
A
A+
A+
Stage
How to book your subscription package
Fill in your booking form then contact Birmingham Hippodrome Ticket Sales to make your
purchase in person, by post, or by telephone.
0844 338 5000* (Mon–Sat, 10am–8pm, 6pm on non-performance days. Calls from 5p per minute)
birminghamhippodrome.com
Ticket Sales, Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB
Postage £1.50
We understand that life is uncertain. Subscribers may exchange their tickets to any single performance to
another performance of the same programme (once only, please; fees may apply).
BRB Friends and Donors: priority booking for individual tickets from 26 May.
Public booking for individual tickets: opens 1 June.
You may book by telephone, online or in person. Calls from 5p per minute, 5% transaction charge applies
(except purchases that include a season ticket, or cash payments in person); Postage from £1.
All information in this brochure correct at the time of going to press (May 2015), but may be subject to change. Terms and Conditions: Prices and discounts
are subject to change. All offers and concessions are subject to availability within a limited allocation, can be withdrawn at any time, are non-retrospective and
cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount. Birmingham Royal Ballet reserves the right to alter ticket prices and withdraw offers at any time.
Concessionary rates do not apply to season tickets (with the exception of essential carer discounts). Valid ID must be presented where applicable. Additional
discounts may be offered from time to time.
Tickets for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s performances at Birmingham Hippodrome are sold by Birmingham Hippodrome. Birmingham Hippodrome is a
company limited by guarantee. Registered Office: Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB; Registered in England and Wales No.1446309; Charity
Registered No.510842; VAT Registration No.864449686. Birmingham Royal Ballet is a company limited by guarantee. Registered Office: Thorp Street,
Southside, Birmingham B5 4AU; Registered in England and Wales No.3320538; Charity Registered No.1061012; VAT Registration No.687933373.
THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE
This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.
If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Birmingham Hippodrome will notify
you seven working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Birmingham
Hippodrome to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the
request.
If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Birmingham Hippodrome or your bank or building
society you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.
If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Birmingham Hippodrome asks you to.
You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or
building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.
All the information in this brochure can be found in clear text at www.brb.org.uk/subs
Join the conversation about the 2015–16 season on Twitter (@brb) or Facebook.
Birmingham Royal Ballet receives funding from