Never harm, nor spell, nor charm,
Come our lovely Lady nigh.
So good night with lullaby.*

In an unprecedented artistic coup, Liam Scarlett, one of the most sought-after choreographers working today, created his first full-length, main stage production, for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, in 2015.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, based on Shakespeare’s play and with Mendelssohn’s wonderful incidental music, had its world premiere in Wellington in August 2015. Scarlett’s musical, witty choreography, displayed in designs by Tracy Grant Lord (Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet) and lighting by Kendall Smith (Giselle) brought Shakespeare’s enchanted wood and vivid characters, to fresh new life for New Zealand audiences.

Born in Ipswich and trained at The Royal Ballet School, joining The Royal Ballet in 2005, Liam Scarlett was appointed The Royal Ballet’s first Artist in Residence in 2012. He has created a string of acclaimed ballets for The Royal Ballet, with his first main stage work, Asphodel Meadows (2010) nominated for both a South Bank Award and an Oliver Award and winner of a 2011 Critics’ Circle National Dance Award. His commissions for international companies have included works for New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, English National Ballet, K-Ballet (Japan) and the Ballet Boyz (UK).

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a co-production with Queensland Ballet.

* A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare