Scottish Ballet’s Coppelia for EIF 2022

Feb 1 2021 | By More

Jess & Morgs to explore relationship with reality

Scottish Ballet is creating a new ballet of Coppelia, choreographed and directed by UK-based duo Jess & Morgs to Delibes’ score, to be premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2022.

Scottish Ballet says the new adaptation will test the boundaries of dance, theatre and film. It will blend location film with projected real-time film and live performance. Delibes’ score will have a new arrangement, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.

Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright on set of Scottish Ballet’s The Secret Theatre. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic

The production will have its world premiere at the EIF of 2022 before going on a national tour. It will be the fourth of Scottish Ballet’s “five-in-five” commitment to create five new full-length ballets in five years to celebrate its 50th birthday.

Jess & Morgs – Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple – have worked with Scottish Ballet on the short film Tremble, part of the 2019 Digital Season (see below), and were co-screen directors for its first feature-length film The Secret Theatre (★★★★☆ Christmas treat) released in December 2020.

The new production will explore our relationship with reality through their playful use of the camera, creating a unique experience for a live theatre audience.

mischief and mistaken identity

Delibes’ dark comedy of mischief and mistaken identity, asks what happens when you fall in love with a machine – How can we compete with the perfection of the unreal? And what if the technology we create, and obsess over, takes on a life of its own?

Jess & Morgs dig even deeper in their reinvention for the digital age – What does it mean to be human in a world of artificial intelligence?

Scottish Ballet presents Coppelia at Edinburgh International Festival. Image from Tremble, by Jess and Morgs. Pic: Scottish Ballet’s Digital Season

Commenting on the new production, the duo say: “Coppelia is a rich tale, both playful and dark, which asks questions about our obsession with technology and our own humanity. It’s a story fitting for our digital age and the perfect vehicle to continue our relationship with Scottish Ballet.”

Scottish Ballet artistic director and CEO Christopher Hampson, said: “As a company we are committed to continuing to push the boundaries of technology within our work through digital creativity and live performance

“We are thrilled to be building on our collaboration with filmmakers Jess and Morgs, and excited to combine elements of digital and dance, as we present the two live on stage.”

longstanding relationship

EIF artistic director Fergus Linehan added: “Everyone at the International Festival is delighted to build on our longstanding relationship with Scottish Ballet.

“In recent years they have presented the full-length ballet version of The Crucible (2019) and Catalyst (2020), a digital performance made exclusively for our My Light Shines On season.”

Coppelia will be presented during the EIF of 2022. Dates, times and further details will be published at a later date.

ENDS

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