After all the excitement of last weekend's Royal Wedding, we have some exciting royal news of our own as we are delighted to announce the world première of Victoria, a ballet by Cathy Marston for spring 2019.
This regal new ballet will coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of Britain’s most iconic monarchs. The world première will take place in Leeds on 9 March 2019 followed by a UK wide tour visiting Sheffield, London, Leicester, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Cardiff and Belfast until June 2019.
Ahead of this announcement we took Soloists Abigail Prudames and Joseph Taylor as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for a suitably lavish photo shoot at Harewood House in Leeds, one of the major filming locations for ITV's 'Victoria'. Check out the photos below:
Victoria will tell the astounding life story of Queen Victoria through the eyes of her youngest child and lifelong companion Beatrice. Travelling back in time from Victoria’s death bed, Beatrice relives her memories of her mother as a secluded widow before discovering her anew as she transcribes the Queen’s intimate diaries. From the accession of the teenage princess Victoria, Beatrice uncovers her mother’s challenging relationship with her own mother; the truth about her passionate marriage to Prince Albert; and her ambiguous relationship with John Brown; as well as key events of her reign from the Opium Wars to the Great Exhibition. Wife, mother, lover, Empress; Victoria presents the various, often conflicting faces of this emblematic monarch, and shows how an act of daughterly devotion became one of history’s most notorious revisions.
Victoria will be choreographed and directed by Cathy Marston, who is also responsible for our production of Jane Eyre which was nominated for a South Bank Sky Arts Award. Sets and costumes will be designed by Steffen Aarfing whose recent projects include designs for Król Roger at the Royal Opera House. Lighting will be designed by Alastair West who was recently nominated at the Knight of Illumination Awards for his designs for Casanova. Dramaturgy is by British director and writer Uzma Hameed whose previous projects include Woolf Works for The Royal Ballet. The scenario for Victoria has been written by Marston and Hameed in collaboration. Victoria will be set to an original score by long-time Northern Ballet collaborator Philip Feeney whose previous scores for us include Jane Eyre and Cinderella.
For more information, on sale dates and booking information click here.
We've also announced our tour plans up to October 2019 - click here for more information.
Photos: Abigail Prudames and Joseph Taylor, photos by Justin Slee.
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