''Woolf Works'' is a full-length contemporary ballet choreographed by

Wayne McGregor Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a multi award-winning British choreographer and director. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Commander of the ...

, composed by Max Richter, and inspired by

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

's novels, letters, essays and diaries. The premiere took place on 11 May 2015 at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

. It was McGregor's first full-length ballet for

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

, and won the

Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

Production

In the ballet, each act represent one of Woolf's novels. The three acts, titled "I now, I then", "Becomings" and "Tuesday" are inspired by ''

Mrs. Dalloway ''Mrs. Dalloway'' is a novel by Virginia Woolf, published on 14 May 1925, that details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional upper-class woman in post-First World War England. It is one of Woolf's best-known novels. The working ...

'', ''

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

'' and ''

The Waves ''The Waves'' is a 1931 novel by English novelist Virginia Woolf. It is critically regarded as her most experimental work, consisting of ambiguous and cryptic soliloquies spoken mainly by six characters; Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny a ...

'' respectively.

Alessandra Ferri Alessandra Ferri OMRI (born 6 May 1963) is an Italian prima ballerina. She danced with the Royal Ballet (1980–1984), American Ballet Theatre (1985–2007) and La Scala Theatre Ballet (1992–2007) and as an international guest artist, before t ...

, who was 52, was invited by McGregor to star in ''Woolf Works'', as he believed her age was suitable for the role.

Mara Galeazzi Mara Galeazzi (born 1973) is an Italian ballet dancer. She was a Principal Dancer of The Royal Ballet. Early life Galeazzi was born in Brescia, Italy. At age 10, she started ballet training at La Scala Theatre Ballet School, where she graduated ...

, a former principal dancer who left the company in 2013, was asked to cover for Ferri, though Galeazzi did not perform the role until 2017. The music, composed by McGregor's frequent collaborator Max Richter, featured both classical and electronic sounds. A recording of Woolf reading her essay "On Craftsmanship" was used in "I now, I then." Actress

Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film '' The House of Mirt ...

provided a voice recording of reading Woolf's

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depen ...

, which is played in the beginning of "Tuesday." The music was released as an album titled ''Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works''. A 2017 revival was filmed and relayed in cinemas. The film was later broadcast by BBC 4 and released on a DVD. The Royal Opera House released the recording online in response to the

impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the performing arts, mirroring its impacts across all arts sectors. Due to physical distancing requirements and closure of the physical venues, curtailing not only public performances but als ...

. In the first full company performance since the pandemic started, Edward Watson,

Akane Takada is a Japanese ballerina and a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Her lead roles have included the title role in '' Giselle'', Nikiya in La Bayadère, Kitri in ''Don Quixote'', and Aurora in '' The Sleeping Beauty''. Early life ...

and Calvin Richardson performed an excerpt from "I now, I then."

La Scala Theatre Ballet The La Scala Theatre Ballet ( it, Corpo di ballo del Teatro alla Scala) is the resident classical ballet company at La Scala in Milan, Italy. One of the oldest and most renowned ballet companies in the world, the company pre-dates the theatre, bu ...

in Milan debuted ''Woolf Works'' in 2019. Ferri and

Federico Bonelli Federico Bonelli (Genoa, 1978) is an Italian ballet dancer and was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, England. He became the artistic director of Northern Ballet in May 2022. Biography Federico Bonelli was born in Genoa, Italy ...

, a Royal Ballet principal, reprised their roles from the original production.

Principal casts

*Original cast:

, Edward Watson, Tristan Dyer,

Beatriz Stix-Brunell Beatriz Eugenia Stix-Brunell (born 1993) is an American ballet dancer. Her career started with Morphoses when she was 14. She joined the Royal Ballet in 2010, was promoted to first soloist in 2016, and retired in 2021. Early life Stix-Brunell ...

Francesca Hayward Francesca Hayward (born 4 July 1992) is a Kenyan-born English ballet dancer and actress. She is a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London. In 2019, she starred as Victoria the White Cat in the musical film '' Cats'', an ...

Gary Avis Gary Avis MBE is an English ballet dancer who is currently a Principal Character Artist and Senior Ballet Master with The Royal Ballet, London. Early life Avis was born in Ipswich. He was first trained in musical theatre, and had performed in t ...

Sarah Lamb Sarah Lamb (born 17 October 1980) is an American principal ballet dancer with The Royal Ballet, London. Early life Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Lamb is the second of three daughters born to Kathleen and John Lamb. Her father is English a ...

Natalia Osipova Natalia Petrovna Osipova (russian: Наталья Петровна Осипова; born 18 May 1986) is a Russian ballerina, currently a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London. Early life and training Born in Moscow, Osipova began ...

Melissa Hamilton Melissa Hamilton (born 2 August 1989) is a Northern Irish ballet dancer and a First Soloist with the Royal Ballet, London. Early life Hamilton was born in Belfast and spent most of her childhood in Dromore, County Down. Her father is a builder ...

, Steven McRae, Paul Kay,

Eric Underwood Eric John Underwood AO, CBE (7 September 1905 – 19 August 1980) was an Australian scientist who pioneered research into sheep nutrition and wool production. Personal life Underwood was born in Harlington, Middlesex, England on 7 September 1 ...

, Matthew Ball *2017 filmed version cast: Alessandra Ferri, Federico Bonelli, Edward Watson, Calvin Richardson, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Francesca Hayward, Gary Avis, Sarah Lamb, Natalia Osipova, Akane Takada, Steven McRae, Paul Kay, Eric Underwood, Matthew Ball

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

Royal Opera HouseStudio Wayne McGregor
{{authority control Ballets by Wayne McGregor Ballets created for The Royal Ballet 2015 ballet premieres Ballets based on literature Virginia Woolf in performing arts