Linbury Season announced

Posted on September 19, 2018

The new Linbury Theatre, redeveloped as part of The Royal Opera House’s £50.7 million Open Up Project, has announced its first season. Performances at the new venue will include new works by Aletta Collins and Wayne McGregor, and visiting companies including Introdans, National Dance Company Wales, Ballet Black and Lost Dog. Tickets will be priced from £5 to £45, with 25 per cent of seats at £25 or less.

A fully flexible space designed by Stanton Williams, the new Linbury Theatre incorporates up to 406 seats and will be an intimate new stage for the Royal Opera House. The theatre opens in December 2018 with a programme yet to be announced as we go to press.

In January 2019, ballerina Alessandra Ferri presents TRIO Concert Dance, alongside American Ballet Theatre principal Herman Cornejo and pianist Bruce Levington, with works by Demis Volpi, Russell Maliphant, Wayne McGregor, Cornejo, Fang-Yi Sheu and Angelin Preljocaj.

Views of the new Linbury Theatre. Photographs: Luke Hayes

In February, The Royal Ballet presents New Work New Music, including Aletta Collins’ Blue Moon, set to a new score by David Sawer and performed by an ensemble of female dancers from The Royal Ballet. The programme will also include works by Goyo Montero, Kristen McNally and Alexander Whitley.

Visiting companies in the season include National Dance Company Wales in works by Fernando Melo, Caroline Finn and Marcos Morau, Introdans in works by Hans van Manen, Jirí Kylián and Nils Christe, Ben Duke’s Lost Dog in Juliet and Romeo, Yorke Dance Project in Kenneth MacMillan’s Playground and Robert Cohan’s new Communion. Ballet Black will return to the Linbury in Cathy Marston’s The Suit and other works. In June 2019, the theatre will host the Young Talent Festival, with performances from some of the world’s leading junior companies and schools, including Ballett Zurich Junior Company, The Norwegian National Ballet 2, Dutch National Ballet Juniors, Rambert School, Rambert 2 and The Royal Ballet School.

Simon Oliver

Simon Oliver has been production editor of Dancing Times since 2010 and is highly experienced in design across print and online magazine production. Throughout his career, Simon has worked on a diverse range of subjects including music, family history, book collecting and poker.