@SCOTTISHBALLET PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HANSEL & GRETEL @TheatreRoyalNew

SCOTTISH BALLET PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HANSEL & GRETEL

This winter, unwrap a tasty new treat with Scottish Ballet’s fantastical Hansel & Gretel at Newcastle Theatre Royal, 29 Jan – 1 Feb. This delightfully inventive, brand new Hansel & Gretel takes creative twists and turns inspired by the Grimm Brother's famous fairy tale – and the stories and imagination of the people of Scotland, gathered from a year-long country-wide initiative called Hansel & Gretel, and Me.

Hansel & Gretel is Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director Christopher Hampson’s first choreography for the company and Scottish Ballet’s first new Christmas ballet in six years - it promises a carousel of delicious treats from start to finish!

“I’d had ideas about Hansel & Gretel as a ballet for a number of years.  But it wasn’t until I joined Scottish Ballet and realised the potential to involve the people of Scotland that I began to think about bringing the ballet to the stage in a different way” says Artistic Director Christopher Hampson.

Hansel & Gretel has been pieced together following a revolutionary creative project called Hansel & Gretel, and Me. The project invited participants of all ages from across Scotland to engage with their national dance company, with the potential for them to help shape Scottish Ballet's new production of Hansel & Gretel.  Participants aged from 5 years to senior years enjoyed the opportunity to express their own ideas of what Hansel & Gretel meant to them through creative writing programmes, a series of cross-generational dance performances in woodland areas and a visual art competition.

The culmination of this ambitious project will present the opportunity for 15 gifted, young dancers in Newcastle to work directly with Christopher Hampson and perform alongside the full Scottish Ballet company when the production comes to the Theatre Royal in January.

Former dancer-turned-designer Gary Harris said: “The production is set in a time that has that warm ‘Bisto-gravy family’ feel – but there is also some real fairy-tale sparkle and even costumes inspired by the glamour of Grace Kelly.”

“We decided we wanted to keep the whole thing in the forest, quite a dark, black forest which remains throughout the whole work and plays its own part – completely surrounding Hansel and Gretel. There are wonderful moments including toys that come to life and an incredible big banquet which becomes completely over the top and magical.”

With Hansel & Gretel comes the famous Engelbert Humperdinck score - which will be performed live in a unique reinterpretation by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.

“The Humperdinck score is charmingly melodic and has a wonderful dancing quality especially in the scenes for Hansel and Gretel,” says Scottish Ballet’s Principal Conductor Richard Honner.

Visit the Kids Zone at www.scottishballet.co.uk for lots of fun facts, games, challenges and even a recipe for a special Witches Brew.

Scottish Ballet’s Hansel and Gretel appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Wednesday 29 January – Saturday 1 February (Evenings: 7.30pm, Matinees: Thursday and Saturday, 2pm). Tickets are available from £10.50 (booking fees apply). Family tickets available, groups of 4 (max 2 adults) please ask Box Office for details. Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk