Romeo and Juliet coming to Geraldton

West Australian Ballet is hitting the road in 2013 to perform the greatest love story ever told,Romeo and Juliet, in Geraldton, Albany, Mandurah and Bunbury.

This Romeo and Juliet was the first ballet the world-famous choreographer Youri Vàmos created for Ballet Deutsche Oper am Rhein, in 1997. He set the tragic love story from the Italian Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s, i.e. the period when Sergei Prokofiev composed the work. Of the time shift Vàmos says, „the music has this spirit, this atmosphere.‟

The sheer joie de vivre and humanity of its characters, wittiness, tempo and excitement permeate the entire ballet amid extremely impressive and poignant love scenes. "Only those who move the heart will change the world – this is the goal I am trying to achieve,‟ says Vàmos.

Romeo and Juliet premiered in Perth in 2009 to great acclaim and the return of this tragic masterpiece is not to be missed.

"Vasmos’ flair for the comic moment, his powerful male ensemble scenes and numerous opportunities for supporting cast members to shine certainly make this production worth a look.‟ The West Australian.

‘Even more familiar to audience members than Prokofiev's score will be this genuine evocation of first love. Vàmos’ choreography is stunning in its ability to touch the heart, which is no small feat when presenting one of the world's most familiar tales.’ The Prague Post

Suitable for the whole family, Romeo and Juliet performs at the Queens Park Theatre, Geraldton on 21 and 22 July.

West Australian Ballet's education team will visit schools and communities in each region prior to the performance season commencing. To register your interest in a schools visit contact WAB on 08 9214 0707.

Performances and booking information

Geraldton

21 >22 June 2013
Queens Park Theatre

To book call 08 9956 662 or visit www.queensparktheatre.com.au

FURTHER INFORMATION

Choreography: Youri Vàmos Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Set & Costumes: Michael Scott Lighting: Klaus Gärditz

Youri Vàmos

Youri Vàmos was born in Budapest. He received his dance training at the State Ballet School in his home town. After his initial engagement as a soloist in the Hungarian State Opera, he became the principle soloist at the Bavarian State Opera in 1972. He also gave guest performances in the USA, Japan, Paris, Vienna, at La Scala in Milan and at the Berlin State Opera.

Vámos has been involved in choreography since 1978. In 1985, he became the Director of Ballet at the Dortmund Theatre, in 1988 he moved to the Bonn Opera and in 1991 he took over the directorship of the Corps de Ballet in Basel. Since the 1996/97 season, he has been the Director of the Corps de Ballet at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

Throughout his artistic career, Youri Vàmos has presented his own adaptations of classical ballets such as Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, a Mid Summer Night’s Dream and Sleeping Beauty. Vàmos has also created new contemporary ballets such as Lucidor based on the novella of the same name by Hugo von Hofmannsthal (music: Alexandr Glazunov), Julien Sorel based on Stendhal‟s novel Red and Black (music: Edgar Elgar), Shannon Rose (music: Jean Sibelius) and Carl Orff‟s Carmina Burana.

As well as Romeo and Juliet (music: Sergei Prokofiev) and the Othello Case (music: Leoš Janáček), Vàmos also created a full length ballet of Cinderella to the music of Sergei Prokofiev in the 2000/01 season. The premiere of his production of Le sacre du printemps by

Igor Stravinsky was staged in spring 2002. In autumn 2002, he staged Leonard Bernstein‟s West Side Story with his own choreography.

Michael Scott

Michael Scott was born in the USA. He came to Germany to take a summer language course at Kassel University and has stayed ever since. He was first an intern and later an assistant to Walter Perdacher. At the Academy of Arts in Munich he studied set design under the tutelage of Rudolf Heinrich. Subsequently, he worked as an assistant to Jürgen Rose at the State Opera in Munich, at the State Opera in Hamburg and the Royal Opera House in London. Together with Gian-Carlo del Monaco, he has created some twenty-five productions, among them Werther in Stuttgart and Simon Boccanegra in Berlin. In 1991 he prepared at New York‟s Metropolitan Opera the set design for the production of Puccini‟s opera La fanciulla del West. For Youri Vàmos, Michael Scott is virtually his “court set designer”. He has designed, for example, sets and costumes for Lucidor, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Spartacus and The Othello Case.

Klaus Gärditz

After completing his specialist training, Klaus focused on working as a theatre electrician. He started as an electrician at the theatre in Neuss. In 1962 he was engaged by Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where he worked his way up to the position of head electrician and later on lighting designer. In the 1990s he collaborated with such renowned stage directors as, for example, Michael Hampe, Kurt Horres, Günter Krämer, August Everding, Adolf Dresen, Werner Schoeter and Tobias Richter. As a lighting designer, he has worked for Erich Walter, Heinz Spoerli and Youri Vàmos. He has participated in productions staged in Hanover, Berlin, Nice, Istanbul and Lisbon.