(L-R) Aldeir Monteiro, Clara Pevel, Gillian Murphy, and Nanako Yamamoto. Photo by Rosalie O'Connor Photography
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Prepare to be enchanted once again! American Repertory Ballet (ARB) proudly announces the return of Ethan Stiefel’s celebrated production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, May 10-12, 2024 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.
"This production was made during my first year as ARB's Artistic Director, and it truly represents the overall vision we wanted to kickstart at the time,” says Stiefel. “Its blend of artful, athletic, whimsical and heartfelt movement and storytelling absolutely encapsulates ARB, and what makes both the show and the company wholly authentic. Simply put, our A Midsummer's Night Dream production is as unique as our artists and our repertoire."
This timeless tale, set to Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic score with additional music written for film by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, promises to transport attendees into to a magical forest filled with fairies, elves, mischief, romance, and joy. Audiences of all ages will once again be cheering, laughing out loud, and mesmerized by the ballet’s whimsy and crisp storytelling. There is no better way to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend!
With scenery by award-winning designer Howard Jones, lighting by Joseph Walls, and original costumes by ARB’s Resident Costume Designer Janessa Cornell Urwin, Shakespeare’s beloved masterpiece receives a modern transformation. The cast will feature the entire ARB Company alongside trainees from Princeton Ballet School.
Performances take place Friday, May 10 at 7:00pm; Saturday, May 11 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm; and Sunday, May 12 at 2:00pm. Tickets range from $25 to $45, plus fees. For ticketing and information, please visit arballet.org
The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center is located at 11 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The venue can be reached by car or New Jersey Transit, and has ample parking in its attached parking deck.
American Repertory Ballet's A Midsummer Night's Dream was made possible by a generous gift from leading sponsor Nora Orphanides.
Additional support for the production came from The Hyde and Watson Foundation and Jan Schadrack and Ngoc Nguyen. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
Ethan Stiefel (The Nora C. Orphanides Artistic Director and Choreographer) is an internationally recognized Dancer, Instructor, Coach, Director and Choreographer. Stiefel became American Repertory Ballet’s Artistic Director in July, 2021. In 1989, Stiefel began his professional dance career at age 16 with the New York City Ballet where he quickly rose to the rank of Principal Dancer. Stiefel was also a Principal Dancer with Ballett Zürich followed by being a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1997-2012. Stiefel has served as Dean of the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) as well as the Artistic Director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. During his celebrated performing career, Stiefel danced leading roles in all the full-length classics and performed in an extensive range of shorter classical, contemporary, and modern works. Guest appearances include dancing with The Royal Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, New York City Ballet, Teatro Colón, The Australian Ballet and many others. He has appeared in numerous film, video and television productions including the feature film Center Stage and the documentary Born to be Wild. As a choreographer, he has created new works for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, The Washington Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, ABT Studio Company, Northern Ballet (UK), The Royal Ballet School, UNCSA, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the television series Flesh and Bone on the STARZ network. Stiefel has received a number of prestigious awards such as the Statue Award of the Princess Grace Foundation and the Dance Magazine Award. (Photo credit: Harald Schrader Photography)
Led by Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel, and with a distinctive reputation for innovation and individuality, American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is recognized as one of the state’s premier performing arts organizations. Presenting classical repertory alongside new and existing contemporary work, ARB is a founding resident company of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center while also performing in major venues across New Jersey and beyond for an annual audience of more than 30,000. Founded in 1954 as the Princeton Ballet Society, ARB has been consistently designated a “Major Arts Institution'' by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for the past two decades and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. The company has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and other major foundations and leaders in the field as a prominent force in the field of dance. Princeton Ballet School, ARB’s official school, attracts talent from around the world while providing opportunities for local students of all ages, such as through its award winning DANCE POWER program.
