Pacific Northwest Ballet - A Midsummer Night's Dream

George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Enter an enchanted realm where ballet, the poetry of Shakespeare and the music of Mendelssohn meet in a whirlwind of farce, romance and magic. In 1962, famed dance master George Balanchine debuted his choreography for A Midsummer Night's Dream with the New York Ballet and the popular production quickly became a stalwart of most leading company's repertories. In fact, it first graced the stages of the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1985, with a redesign hot on its heels in 1997, thereafter remaining a seasonal favorite.

Set to an exquisite selection of Mendelssohn compositions including his Overtures to Athalie, The Fair Melusine, and the overture and incidental music from the titular piece, A Midsummer Night's Dream unfolds in ancient Athens, where two sets of quarrelling human lovers enter the forrest realm of King Oberon and Queen Titania, the overseers of the fairy realm who share their own tumultuous relationship. Throw in a mischievous sprite named Puck and a handful of hapless mechanicals and you've got a rip-roaring tale about mistaken identity and the transformative power of love.