CALGARY March 18–21, 2020 EDMONTON March 27–29, 2020 www.wolfecadillac.com tTHE ALL-NEW 2021 CADILLAC ESCALADE COMING SOON TO CANADA’S #1 ESCALADE DEALERSHIP! IT IS ALWAYS A THRILLING MOMENT for us when we can offer you the Canadian premiere of a never-before-seen production in our country. Septime Webre’s dynamic and poetic version of Peter Pan was exactly the type of production we were searching for JEAN GRAND-MAÎTRE and we could not be prouder to dance it for ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 2002 - PRESENT you today. – Ballets for the entire family have always been a staple of our programming. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce children to ballet and to a live stage performance as it includes costuming, storytelling and music. Perhaps our children need magic more than ever, including the heroes, the villains and the tales that teach wisdom and compassion. We would like to thank Septime and Johanna Wilt for their dedication in staging this ballet on our dancers and our thanks to all the designers for their enchanting collaboration. I invite you to join us again in May when we bring a world premier to the stage. Christopher Anderson is preparing his interpretation of the celebrated masterpiece, Swan Lake. The rare event of such a beautiful classic is one not to miss. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our entire team, including all our artistic team, backstage crews, the dancers for their extraordinary commitment, our talented wardrobe team, and to our gracious donors, sponsors, supporters and of course you, our patrons, for always believing that dance can make a difference. Thank you. Jean Grand-Maître 3 PETER PAN LIBRETTO ACT I When the pirates march onto the scene led by Peter’s enemy, Captain Hook, the group SCENE 1: THE DARLING HOME scatters. The pirates are looking for a fight with As the curtain rises in the Darling nursery, John Peter, but run when they hear a ticking sound. and Michael are fighting a pirates’ duel when They know that is the crocodile that swallowed Wendy and Nana, the dog, join in the a clock. Captain Hook is terrified because this commotion. Mr. and Mrs. Darling and Liza, the is the same crocodile that ate his hand. maid, come in to wish the children goodnight. Soon, Tiger Lily and the Indian Maidens Suddenly, a chilly wind blows the window open appear in the moonlight and the pirates and Tinkerbell flies in, scattering her fairy dust surprise them and capture Tiger Lily. Seeing around the room. She is quickly followed by her distress, Peter disguises himself as a nymph Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. Peter is to distract Captain Hook and then successfully looking for his shadow, which he thinks he lost rescues Tiger Lily. The Lost Boys and Indians there a long time ago. After a search, Peter celebrate while Captain Hook vows revenge. finds his shadow, but when he tries to put it on, it won’t stick. Wendy awakens and, seeing his ACT II dilemma, sews his shadow on with a needle SCENE 1: THE LOST BOYS’ HOME and thread. UNDERGROUND When the boys wake up, Peter teaches the As Wendy reads a bedtime story to John, children to fly. They soar around the room and Michael and the Lost Boys, the evil pirates then fly out the window toward Never Never creep in and capture them. The pirates take Land – “past the second star on the right and their captives to the ship, the Jolly Roger. straight on ‘til morning.” Frantic about this turn of events, Tinkerbell SCENE 2: NEVER NEVER LAND alerts Peter of their capture. Arriving in Never Never Land, Peter, Tinkerbell SCENE 2: THE JOLLY ROGER and her coterie of fairies fly through the trees The pirates dance aboard ship and threaten to as Peter and the Darling children encounter make the children walk the gangplank. Peter the Lost Boys who think Wendy is a bird and flies in to save them and a swordfight ensues. shoot her with a bow and arrow. Tinkerbell Peter and the Lost Boys are victorious and heals Wendy with her fairy magic, and they all Captain Hook is pushed overboard, much to dance and celebrate. the glee of his enemy, the crocodile. Wendy 4 becomes homesick and realizes she and her brothers can’t remain children forever and must return home. Peter claims he’ll never grow up. Wendy and the Darling boys fly home. SCENE 3: THE DARLING HOME Mr. and Mrs. Darling are grief-stricken over the disappearance of their children when suddenly they appear, and there is a joyful reunion. As Wendy looks back, she sees Peter through the window and realizes the child within her will always remain. Sets, Props and Costumes courtesy of Cincinnati Ballet. The Music for Peter Pan by Carmon DeLeone is used by arrangement with Page Street Press, publisher and copyright owner. 5 ARTISTIC TEAM During his tenure he has curated more than 80 different programs, highlighted by a growing presence of 20th and 21st century dance makers. He has commissioned 38 one-act JEAN GRAND-MAÎTRE ballets, as well as 21 full-length works. He has also revived 21 Artistic Director one-act ballets and 14 full-length ballets from the company’s Jean Grand-Maître is widely repertoire. All were created or revived for the Alberta Ballet by recognized as among the most more than 35 highly established and/or emerging successful Canadian choreographers choreographers mainly from Canada. and artistic directors of his generation. SEPTIME WEBRE Born in Hull, Quebec, Grand-Maître began his dance training Choreographer at York University in Toronto and continued at Montreal’s Septime Webre is an internationally L’École Supérieure de Dance du Québec. He later danced with recognised ballet director, Ballet British Columbia and Theatre Ballet of Canada. choreographer, educator and Since joining Alberta Ballet in 2002, he has elevated the profile advocate. He joined Hong Kong Ballet of the organization to a global position. Under his tenure, as its Artistic Director in July, 2017 after Alberta Ballet caught the world’s attention for its ‘portrait 17 years as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet in ballets’ – collaborations with popular music icons including Joni Washington DC, US from 1999-2016. Previously he served as Mitchell, Sir Elton John, Sarah McLachlan, k.d. lang, Gordon Artistic Director of the American Repertory Ballet, based in Lightfoot, and The Tragically Hip. Princeton, New Jersey, US from 1993-1999. In addition, Webre Prior to Alberta Ballet, he worked internationally as an has served as the Artistic Director of Halcyon, a Washington independent choreographer and has created new works for DC-based foundation, launching an annual international many of the world’s most prestigious ballet companies such as Festival for Creativity in Washington DC in June 2018. the Opéra National de Paris, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the During Webre’s tenure at The Washington Ballet, the institution’s Stuttgart Ballet, the National Norwegian Ballet, the National budget grew by 500%, and it enjoyed unprecedented advances Bavarian State Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, Les in the scope and quality of its work on stage, in the size and reach Grands Ballets Canadiens, Ballet British Columbia, the of its professional school, and in the development of several National Ballet of Cuba, Ballet Jörgen and the Hartford Ballet. far-reaching community engagement programmes, which he His experience in staging multidisciplinary dance and theatre is founded. Webre launched an array of artistic initiatives including extensive and includes special creations for film, theatre The American Experience, which developed great works of festivals, circus performers, opera, musicals, television specials literature into full-length ballets, including The Great Gatsby and and large scale outdoor events. In 2010, he was Director of Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises among others. Choreography for the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver As a choreographer, Webre’s works appear in the repertoires of 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In 2017, he was part of a ballet companies throughout North America, including Pacific landmark commission by the National Arts Centre (NAC). The Northwest Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Colorado production, entitled Encounters, celebrated Canada’s Ballet, Ballet West, Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Austin, sesquicentennial by pairing three of Canada’s most notable Ballet Memphis, Milwaukee Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Ballet choreographers with three of Canada’s brightest composers. Concierto de Puerto Rico, and many others, and he has worked Alberta Ballet’s dancers, whether on stage, film or television, frequently in theatre as well as opera. As a dancer, Webre was have become renowned for their technical virtuosity, versatility featured in solo and principal roles from the classical repertoire as and ability to communicate with audiences across Canada well as in contemporary works by choreographers such as Twyla and abroad. Tharp, Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham. He has served on the juries of a number of international ballet competitions, He has made ballet relevant to Albertans and has played an including those in Varna, Bulgaria, Istanbul, Cape Town, New instrumental role in showing a different side of their culture to York, Seoul, and elsewhere. He has served on the board of the world. By his judicious selection of dancers and strategic Dance/USA and his work has received numerous honors, grants development of the repertoire, Grand-Maître has enabled and awards. He holds a degree in History/Pre-Law from the Alberta Ballet to become a company capable of performing University of Texas at Austin, and is the seventh son in a large, everything from the most avant-garde contemporary works to boisterous Cuban-American family.