Madame Butterfly (1995 - )
Gould, Ross: Vicki Attard in Stanton Welch's 'Madame Butterfly', the Australian Ballet, 1995
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Stanton Welch's Madame Butterfly received its world premiere performance in Melbourne at the State Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre, on 24 February 1995. Commisioned by the Australian Ballet, the opening night cast featured Vicki Attard as Madame Butterfly, Miranda Coney as Suzuki, Steven Heathcote as Lieutenant Pinkerton, Justine Summers as Kate, and Adam Marchant as Sharpless. The work was danced to Puccini's music arranged for the ballet by John Lanchbery. Designs were by Peter Farmer and the work was lit by William Akers.
Since its premiere Madame Butterfly has been restaged on several occasions by the Australian Ballet, most recently in 1998. It is also in the repertoire of many companies around the world including Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Royal New Zealand Ballet and Singapore Dance Theatre.
The choreographer's program notes for the world premiere season stated: 'I have tried to follow closely the opera's storyline, changing only what I thought necessary to achieve the same dramatic effect through movement ... I would like to dedicate this ballet to Maina Gielgud through whose determination and encouragement I was lucky enough to have this opportunity. I would also like to thank ... my father for the passion that burns in my soul'.
See also: Akers, William (Bill) ; Australian Ballet, The ; Coney, Miranda ; Gielgud, Maina ; Heathcote, Steven ; Lanchbery, John ; Marchant, Adam ; Summers, Justine ; Welch, Stanton
Research Materials
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- Interview with Stanton Welch, 1995 (Oral history)
- Interviewer: Michelle Potter
- Interviewee: Welch, Stanton
- Audiotape
- 60 mins
- Stanton Welch talks about his approach to choreography and his interest in working within the genre of classical ballet. He discusses some of his works including Divergence, Madame Butterfly, Corroboree and Of Blessed Memory and also discusses his career to date including the role of his parents, Garth Welch and Marilyn Jones, of Maina Gielgud and of the Australian Ballet in its development. He talks about working in America with San Francisco Ballet and addresses the related issues of his youth and the reception of his ballets.
Edited extracts from this interview have been published as 'Boundless Dreams' in Michelle Potter, A Passion for Dance (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1997), pp. 135-147.
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Welch, Stanton ;
Gielgud, Maina ;
Australian Ballet, The ;
Welch, Garth ;
Jones, Marilyn ;
Corroboree [Dance work made to the score of John Antill] ;
Of Blessed Memory ;
Divergence
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- TRC 3321
nla.cat-vn720525 -
- Interview with William (Bill) Akers, 2002 (Oral history)
- Interviewer: Michelle Potter
- Interviewee: Akers, Bill
- Audiotape
- 245 mins
- In this interview Bill Akers begins by speaking of his family background and his early interest and work in the theatre. He talks in particular about working at the Rathbone Academy of Dramatic Art and joining the John Alden Shakespeare Company as actor and choreographer, his education and his first interest in dance. He goes on to give his recollections of performing in radio serials. Throughout the interview he discusses the dance companies with which he has been involved including the National Theatre Ballet, the Borovansky Ballet and the Australian Ballet and some of the artists and artistic directors with whom he has worked including Edouard Borovansky, Peggy van Praagh, Maina Gielgud, Robert Helpmann, Leon Kellaway, Rudolf Nureyev, Erik Bruhn, Kathleen Geldard, Kenneth Rowell, Anne Woolliams, John Cranko, Glen Tetley, Ross Stretton and David McAllister. Some of the dance productions he refers to, often in relation to his lighting of them, Yugen, Sun Music and The Display by Robert Helpmann, Madame Butterfly by Stanton Welch and Aurora's Wedding and The Sleeping Beauty from the classical repertoire. He concludes with a discussion of his exhibition Tutu Gorgeous and of his aspirations both for his own future and that of the Australian Ballet.
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Corroboree [Dance work made to the score of John Antill] ;
Kellaway, Leon ;
Nureyev, Rudolf ;
Akers, William (Bill) ;
Australian Ballet, The ;
Borovansky Ballet ;
National Theatre Ballet ;
Borovansky, Edouard ;
van Praagh, Peggy ;
Gielgud, Maina ;
Helpmann, Robert ;
Woolliams, Anne ;
Stretton, Ross ;
Reid, Rex ;
Welch, Stanton ;
Display, The ;
McAllister, David ;
Yugen ;
Sun Music ;
Sleeping Beauty, The ;
Rowell, Kenneth ;
Aurora's Wedding ;
Geldard, Kathleen
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- TRC 4839
nla.cat-vn1565943 -
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