Ballet Kelowna’s Artistic Director & CEO Announces The Season of Drama
Season Subscriptions Now on Sale
The 2023/24 Season includes two riveting mixed programs and the return of Alysa Pires’ visceral full-length ballet, Macbeth, back by popular demand, plus the return of the Pop-Up Series
Kelowna, BC – Simone Orlando, Ballet Kelowna’s Artistic Director & CEO, today announced Ballet Kelowna’s 2023/24 Season, The Season of Drama, featuring a spectacular array of narrative-driven dance works that encapsulate the interdisciplinary, creative energy of the theatre.
“The 2023/2024 season marks my 10th anniversary as Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Kelowna,” says Simone Orlando. “It has been a privilege to guide the organization through the tremendous change and growth that has occurred over the past decade and, as we move into a new season, I am pleased to continue to bring emerging and established Canadian choreographers into the spotlight. With three world premieres and the return of the thrilling full-length ballet, Macbeth, The Season of Drama will transport audiences through worlds and stories that explore humanity’s capacity for compassion, desire, and ambition.”
The season kicks off with the return of the Pop-Up Series: Dance by the Lake at Kelowna City Park’s Jubilee Grandstands on August 26. The event features a free ballet workshop, open viewing of Company warmup, and a special evening performance at 6:00 PM - all part of the Kelowna Made Festival. Ballet Kelowna’s performance will provide a sneak peek of what is to come in The Season of Drama.
With Rising Action, November 3 + 4, 2023 at the Kelowna Community Theatre, Ballet Kelowna features an engrossing lineup of works. Inspired by daydreams and longing, Kirsten Wicklund’s The Forever Part is a poignant ensemble piece exploring the inherent tension of the permanence of forever. With rhythmic group sections and stirring duets, this piece meditates on both yearning and desire as well as anxiety and restriction. The soulful, contemporary Studies of Cash by Simone Orlando features the heartfelt and often humorous music of country legend Johnny Cash from his life-changing 1968 concert at Folsom Prison. This work delves into concepts of confinement and imprisonment and looks behind prison walls that are both man-made and self-imposed. In his first work for the Company, Montreal-based choreographer Jake Poloz focuses on the ways our ambitions become the central story in our lives. Poloz’s The Royal We examines the rituals of monarchy as a vehicle to dramatize these ideas.
The second program, Turning Point, February 16 + 17, 2024, is a powerful mix of two dramatic world premieres. Adapted from Kat Sandler’s Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning play, Robert Stephen’s Mustard follows the story of an imaginary friend’s exploits as he outstays his welcome in the real world to date the divorced mother of his human best friend. Composer Owen Belton creates an original score, weaving sonic webs to perfectly complement Stephen’s playful choreography. For her 10th season with Ballet Kelowna, Simone Orlando creates a new work, Delicate Fire, in honour and memory of visionary Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock. Initially developed through a fellowship from the New York Choreographic Institute, this piece explores the nature and deeds of Gods and Goddesses and is heavily inspired by Morlock’s evocative music based on the poems of Sappho. Delicate Fire is sponsored by the Canadian Music Centre BC.
The season culminates with the return of Alysa Pires’ wildly successful theatrical ballet, Macbeth, May 3 + 4, 2024. The timeless themes of ambition, power, and corruption that characterize William Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy infuse this high-stakes piece with drama and suspense. An original score of toil and trouble by Canadian composer Adam Sakiyama and stunning visuals by Okanagan artist Jane Everett set the scene for an exploration of psychological decay. The commissioning of Macbeth was made possible through the generosity of Leadership Giving Donors Dr. Adrian Bak and Patricia Ainslie.
Ballet Kelowna’s 2023/24 season is presented by the Thomas Alan Budd Foundation.
SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE ON SALE NOW and can be purchased online at theatre.kelowna.ca, by phone at 250-469-8940, or in person at the Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water St, Kelowna.
The 2023/24 season offers a wide array of subscription and single ticket options, with three pricing levels of seats in the Kelowna Community Theatre.
Subscribe to all three programs (Rising Action, Turning Point, and Macbeth) for as low as:
Adult - $154, Senior - $140, Student/Child/Wheelchair - $84.
Prices include tax but do not include the Kelowna Community Theatre ticketing and capital improvement fees.
Senior is 65+, Students must present valid ID at box office, Child must be 12 years of age or under.
Subscribe before September 10, 2023, for a chance to win one term of IN MOTION adult dance classes. Subscribers also enjoy an exclusive invitation to attend an elegant post-show reception on May 3 or 4, 2024, following the performance of Alysa Pires’ thrilling Macbeth.
Single tickets go on sale September 11, 2023.
All performances take place at the Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water Street, Kelowna BC.
For further media information, contact
Abby Wiens
Marketing Coordinator
T. 250.762.6105
communications@balletkelowna.ca