''Woolf Works'' is a full-length contemporary ballet choreographed by
Wayne McGregor, composed by
Max Richter, and inspired by
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device.
Vir ...
'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 a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
. 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 ...
, and won the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.
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'', ''
Orlando'' and ''
The Waves'' respectively.
[
Alessandra Ferri, who was 52, was invited by McGregor to star in ''Woolf Works'', as he believed her age was suitable for the role. Mara Galeazzi, 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.]suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message written by a person who 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 depend on ethnic ...
, 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. In the first full company performance since the pandemic started, Edward Watson, Akane Takada and Calvin Richardson performed an excerpt from "I now, I then."
La Scala Theatre Ballet in Milan debuted ''Woolf Works'' in 2019. Ferri and Federico Bonelli, a Royal Ballet principal, reprised their roles from the original production.
Woolf Works made its North American debut on April 11, 2024 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California and was danced by ]American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...
, Segerstrom's official dance company.
Principal casts
*Original cast: Alessandra Ferri, Federico Bonelli, Edward Watson, Tristan Dyer, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Francesca Hayward, Gary Avis, Sarah Lamb, Natalia Osipova, Melissa Hamilton, 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 ballets
Ballets based on novels
Adaptations of works by Virginia Woolf