Birmingham Royal Ballet's new season tribute to Shakespeare

This year, Birmingham Royal Ballet commemorates 400 years since the death of the world’s most prolific playwright, William Shakespeare with a rare and exceptional season of seven works including a brand-new one-act ballet from Jessica Lang, a world premiere by David Bintley plus two pieces new to the Company inspired by Shakespeare’s stories, characters and prose.

BRB’s Shakespeare Season begins with touch of magic and with Sir Frederick Ashton’s interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Dream. In a dramatic leafy forest love gets out of hand for fairies and mortals alike in this classic production which was originally created in 1964 by Ashton to mark Shakespeare’s birthday. The Dream plays alongside A Month in the Country in an Ashton Double Bill (17-20 Feb).

For younger audiences, there’s First Steps: The Dream (19 Feb). This specially designed hour long interactive presentation introduces children aged three to seven years old to ballet and live performance featuring a full orchestra and cast of dancers. An on-stage storyteller will introduce families to the characters in the production of The Dream as well as all of the theatrical elements that come together to make a performance including the lighting, sound and orchestra. All tickets are priced at just £10.

The season continues with Kenneth Macmillan’s classic production of Romeo and Juliet (24-27 Feb). Set to Prokofiev ‘s epic score, the tale of the passionate star-crossed lovers comes to life in this beautiful production featuring a stunning design recreating the grandeur and heat of Verona.

In a riotous and comedic battle of the sexes, John Cranko adapts The Taming of the Shrew (16-18 June). In a first performance by Birmingham Royal Ballet, Cranko breathes new life into this wild and witty comedy telling the tale of the stubborn and tempestuous Kate and how her suitor Petruchio gets rather more than he bargained for when agreeing to their marriage.

Jessica Lang’s brand-new work for the Company, Wink inspired by the poetry of Shakespeare’s sonnets receives its Birmingham premiere as part of the Shakespeare Triple Bill (22-25 June). Birmingham Royal Ballet also performs José Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane for the very first time, based on the tensions, drama and jealousy in Othello. The bill concludes with a celebration of some of Shakespeare’s most famous and infamous characters such as Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard III and Bottom and Titania in David Bintley’s The Shakespeare Suite.

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s 2016 Shakespeare season concludes with the world premiere of Director David Bintley’s new full-length ballet The Tempest (Sep 2016). One of William Shakespeare’s most beloved narratives takes to the stage in a breath-taking production full of theatrical wizardry and stunning designs by War Horse’s Rae Smith set to a brand-new score by acclaimed British composer Sally Beamish. Tickets go on sale soon.