Irene, First State Ballet Theatre’s vampire-themed world premiere, bows at the Grand

World premieres aren’t an every day (or every year) occurrence in Wilmington, so First State Ballet Theatre’s world premiere of Irene, the company’s Vampire Valentine to Wilmington, will be a very special night and a performance to remember.

Irene is the brainchild of Wilmington-based guitarist, teacher and composer Shaun Dougherty, who composed the music and libretto for the full-length work. FSBT dancer and choreographer Alex Buckner—who choreographed the company’s Delaware premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and whose work was featured at the 2011 Delaware Arts Summit—has set the piece on FSBT’s 22-person professional company.

FSBT President and Executive Director Robert Grenfell said, “When Shaun proposed this collaboration, we saw immediately that its edgy, sophisticated, urban vibe could add a younger demographic—teens through 30-somethings—to our typical audience. Since a key component of our mission is to educate the Delaware dance audience of the future, we jumped at the chance to work with Shaun. And the concepts we’ve developed in our production meetings have been fantastic.”

 

“To broaden our audience, we’ve invited some of Wilmington’s best known culturati to take walk-on roles in the ballet’s ballroom scene,” Grenfell said.

 

An all-Delaware production, Irene will feature a live pit band, including a 12-person string section drawn largely from members of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, a percussion section, pianist, Dougherty on guitar and a conductor. The music is vibrant and rock-inspired, the staging will be dark and mysterious and the choreography will feature Buckner’s blend of classical and contemporary technique infused with humor and pathos.

The Irene production team encourages everyone to bring their Valentine to the Grand for an evening of drama, suspense and passion. One performance only, Irene debuts Friday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m. on the main stage of Wilmington’s Grand Opera House. Tickets—adults $28-$48, students 18 and under 50-percent off and seniors, groups and military $5 off—are on sale now at 1-800-37-GRAND or online at www.ticketsatthegrand.org. Discounts are not available online.

 

 

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The First State Ballet Theatre is a 501(c)(3) corporation, founded in 2000, whose mission is to present professional ballet performances to audiences throughout Delaware, to provide superb ballet training and performance opportunities to aspiring Delaware dancers and to educate the Delaware dance audience of the future.

The company’s statewide season features performances in major theater in all three counties from Wilmington to Selbyville.