UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey
UniVerse
A Dark Crystal Odyssey
2023
Company
Company Wayne McGregor
Director and Choreographer
Wayne McGregor
Music
Joel Cadbury
Film Design
Ravi Deepres
Lighting Design
Lucy Carter
Costume and Head Pieces
Philip Delamore and Alex Box
Spoken Word Artist
Isaiah Hull
Dramaturg
Uzma Hameed
Design Associate: Catherine Smith
Associate Film Designer: Luke Unsworth
Specialist Animation: Steven Spencer
Lighting Associate: Callum MacDonald
New Costume/Character Co-Creators: Shanti Bell, Hanti Bell, Sam JW Chester and Yeonwoo Oh
Costume Production Assistant: Peini Yu
Originally danced by
Winnie Asawakanjanakit, Rebecca Bassett-Graham, Jordan James Bridge, Salvatore De Simone, Chia-Yu Hsu, Hannah Joseph, Chien-Shun Liao, Jasiah Marshall, Eileih Muir and Salomé Pressac
Premiere date and venue
13 May 2023, Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London, UK
Dates
For latest on Company Wayne McGregor and our touring and projects, sign up here.
✮✮✮✮
'[AN] ARRESTING MEDITATION ON OUR AILING PLANET COMBINING DANCE, POETRY, FILM AND MUSIC TO STARTLING EFFECT'
- Lyndsey Winship, The Guardian
✮✮✮✮
'A TREMENDOUSLY INVENTIVE SHRIEK OF HORROR AT THE STATE OF THE PLANET... A RETINA-DAZZLING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING SUCCESS'
-Mark Monahan, The Telegraph
UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey is a moving meditation on the climate crisis, exploring themes of exploitation, destruction, apathy and ultimately hope. Originally inspired by The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s cult fantasy movie about an ailing planet and a divided race, this piece depicts an earth riven by extremes and urgently in need of healing.
Immersive digital environments and cutting-edge costumes create a stunning blend of fantasy and documentary, while high tensile choreography in dialogue with spoken word, powerfully evokes the inseparability of humanity and nature. Performed by the extraordinary dancers of Company Wayne McGregor, this is a modern eco-myth that asks how we can come together to be whole again.
A team of world-class creatives led by choreographer and director Wayne McGregor, includes composer Joel Cadbury, film designer Ravi Deepres, lighting designer Lucy Carter, spoken word artist Isaiah Hull, dramaturg Uzma Hameed, costume designer Philip Delamore and face-and-body artist Alex Box, with special thanks to Brian and Wendy Froud.
To book tickets, please visit the Royal Opera House website.
A co-production between Studio Wayne McGregor and The Royal Ballet in association with The Jim Henson Company.
Image: Ben Cullen Williams.
