American Repertory Ballet Presents Ethan Stiefel's “A Midsummer Night's Dream”

(L-R) Aldeir Monteiro, Clara Pevel, Gillian Murphy and Nanako Yamamoto. Photo by Rosalie O'Connor Photography

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) – Be enchanted once again! American Repertory Ballet (ARB) proudly announces the return of Ethan Stiefel's acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night's Dream10th-12th May 2024 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.

“This production was created during my first year as artistic director of ARB and it truly represents the overall vision we wanted to set in motion at the time,” says Stiefel. “His blend of artful, athletic, whimsical and heartfelt movement and storytelling absolutely embodies ARB,” and what makes both the show and the company utterly authentic. Simply put: ours A Midsummer Night's Dream The production is as unique as our artists and our repertoire.

This timeless story, set to Felix Mendelssohn's iconic film score and additional score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, promises to transport viewers to a magical forest full of fairies, elves, mischief, romance and joy. Once again, audiences of all ages will cheer, laugh out loud and be captivated by the ballet's moody and crisp narrative. There's no better way to celebrate Mother's Day weekend!

With sets by award-winning designer Howard Jones, lighting by Joseph Walls and original costumes by ARB costume designer Janessa Cornell Urwin, Shakespeare's beloved masterpiece receives a modern transformation. The cast includes the entire ARB Company as well as trainees from the Princeton Ballet School.

Performances will take place on Friday, May 10, at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 11 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $45, plus fees. For ticket sales 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 is accessible by car or New Jersey Transit and has ample parking in the attached parking deck.

American Repertory Ballets A Midsummer Night's Dream was made possible by a generous donation from main sponsor Nora Orphanides.

Additional support for the production came from the Hyde and Watson Foundation as well as Jan Schadrack and Ngoc Nguyen. The grant funding was provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund grant award.

Ethan Boots (The artistic director and choreographer of Nora C. Orphanides) is an internationally recognized dancer, instructor, trainer, director and choreographer. Boots became artistic director of the American Repertory Ballet in July 2021. In 1989, Stiefel began his professional dance career at the age of 16 with the New York City Ballet, where he quickly advanced to principal dancer. Boots was also a principal dancer with the Zurich Ballet and then a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater (ABT) from 1997 to 2012. Boots was dean of the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. During his acclaimed acting career, Boots danced leading roles in all the full-length classics and appeared in an extensive range of shorter classical, contemporary and modern works. His guest appearances include dancing with the Royal Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, New York City Ballet, Teatro Colón, 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, Washington Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, ABT Studio Company, Northern Ballet (UK), Royal Ballet School, UNCSA and Jimmy Kimmel Live! created. and the television series Flesh and Bone on the STARZ network. Boots has received a number of prestigious awards, including the Princess Grace Foundation Statue Award and the Dance Magazine Award. (Image credit: Harald Schrader Photography)

Led by Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel and with a distinctive reputation for innovation and individuality, American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is considered one of the premier performing arts organizations in the state. ARB presents classical repertoire alongside new and existing contemporary works and is a founding company of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Additionally, it performs in major venues throughout New Jersey and beyond to annual audiences of more than 30,000. Founded in 1954 as the Princeton Ballet Society, ARB has consistently been recognized as a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts over the past two decades and has been repeatedly awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. The company has been recognized as a leader in dance by the National Endowment for the Arts and other major foundations and leaders in the field. Princeton Ballet School, the official school of the ARB, attracts talent from around the world while providing opportunities for local students of all ages, such as its award-winning DANCE POWER program.