| Choreographed as part of a triple programme staged by The Royal Ballet to celebrate Shakespeare’s quartercentenary, The Dream has since become a perennial favourite of the repertories of The Royal Ballet and companies around the world. Based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and accompanied by Felix Mendelssohn’s much-loved incidental music for the play, the ballet is replete with magic and misadventure. Its most enduring quality is Ashton’s exquisite choreography and, through it, his insightful portrayal of Shakespeare’s characters. Ashton selected the young dancers Antoinette Sibely and Anthony Dowell as Titania and Oberon, choosing them for the suitability of their personalities as well as their technical abilities. Relatively unknown before The Dream, the pair went on to become one of the most celebrated dance partnerships in the company’s history. |
MUSIC
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, arranged by John Lanchbery (incidental music to Shakespeare’s comedy, Opus 21 and Opus 61)
SCENERY
Henry Bardon
COSTUMES
David Walker
DANCERS
Titania: Antoinette Sibley; Oberon: Anthony Dowell; Changeling Indian Boy: Alan Bauch; Puck: Keith Martin; Bottom: Alexander Grant; Rustics: Lambert Cox, David Jones, Keith Milland, Ronald Plaisted, Douglas Steuart; Helena: Carole Needham; Hermia: Vergie Derman; Demetrius: David Drew; Lysander: Derek Rencher; Peaseblossom: Ann Howard; Cobweb: Mavis Osborn; Moth: Ann Jenner; Mustardseed: Jacqueline Haslam; Fairies: corps de ballet
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, London, 2 April 1964
New Stagings / Productions
Royal Ballet touring section, 1966
SCENERY & COSTUMES
Peter Farmer*
DANCERS
Titania: Doreen Wells; Oberon: David Wall; Puck: David Morse; Bottom: Ronald Emblen
FIRST PERFORMANCE
New Theatre, Oxford, 2 December 1966
*This production was used by the main company from 2 December 1971 until 8 February 1974, when the Bardon/Walker production was restored to the repertory.
Royal Ballet School, 1973
STAGING
Royal Ballet School
SCENERY
Peter Farmer
COSTUMES
Peter Farmer and David Walker
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Royal Opera House, London, 7 July 1973
Ballet for All, 1978
STAGING
Ballet for All; excerpts only
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Wycliffe College, Stroud, 10 October 1978
The Royal Ballet, 1986
NEW PRODUCTION
The Royal Ballet
SCENERY & COSTUMES
David Walker
DANCERS
Titania: Antoinette Sibley; Oberon: Anthony Dowell; Puck: Simon Rice; Bottom: Garry Grant
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Royal Opera House, London, 6 June 1986
By Other Companies
The Australian Ballet, 1969
STAGING
The Australian Ballet
REPRODUCED BY
Elphine Allen
SCENERY & COSTUMES
Peter Farmer
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, 11 July 1969
PACT Ballet, 1971
STAGING
PACT Ballet
REPRODUCED BY
John Hart
SCENERY & COSTUMES
Peter Farmer
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Civic Theatre, Johannesburg, 3 September 1971
Joffrey Ballet, 1973
STAGING
Joffrey Ballet
REPRODUCED BY
John Hart
SCENERY & COSTUMES
David Walker
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Wolftrap Farm, Vienna VA, 9 August 1973
Shakespeare and the Performing Arts, 1973
STAGING
Shakespeare and the Performing Arts; Nocturne only
DANCERS
Titania: Natalia Makarova; Oberon: Michael Coleman
FIRST PERFORMANCE
John F Kennedy Center, Washington DC, 26 September 1973
Royal Swedish Ballet, 1975
STAGING
Royal Swedish Ballet
SCENERY & COSTUMES
David Walker
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Opera House, Stockholm, 14 October 1975
Het Nationale Ballet, 1977
STAGING
Het Nationale Ballet; under the title Midzomernachtsdroom
REPRODUCED BY
Faith Worth
SCENERY & COSTUMES
David Walker
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam, 8 December 1977
National Ballet of Canada, 1977-1978
STAGING
National Ballet of Canada
REPRODUCED BY
Faith Worth
SCENERY & COSTUMES
David Walker
FIRST PERFORMANCE
TKTK 1977-1978
Spoleto Festival USA, 1980
STAGING
Spoleto Festival USA; Nocturne only, in Shakespeare in the Dance
DANCERS
Titania: Denise Jackson; Oberon: Anthony Dowell
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Gaillard Auditorium, Charleston SC, 31 May 1980
Ballet West, 1985
STAGING
Ballet West
REPRODUCED BY
John Hart
SCENERY & COSTUMES
David Walker
FIRST PERFORMANCE
High School, Aspen CO, 30 July 1985 (preview); Capitol Theater, Salt Lake City UT, 20 September 1985
Irek Mukhamedov and Company, 1992
STAGING
Irek Mukhamedov and Company; Nocturne only
DANCERS
Titania: Bonnie Moore; Oberon: William Trevitt
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Derngate Theatre, Northampton, 14 April 1992
American Ballet Theatre, 2002
STAGING
American Ballet Theatre
REPRODUCED BY
Anthony Dowell, Christopher Carr
SCENERY & COSTUMES
David Walker
DANCERS
Titania: Alessandra Ferri; Oberon: Ethan Stiefel; Puck: Herman Cornejo; Bottom: Isaac Stappas
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Metropolitan Opera House, New York NY, 24 May 2002
Copyright © 2004 by David Vaughan. ‘Work note’ © Frederick Ashton Foundation.
This listing is part of a chronology that was originally published in Vaughan’s Frederick Ashton and His Ballets (Alfred E Knopf 1976; 2nd ed., London: Dance Books, 1999) and includes new productions added since then, and up until 2007