Casting Announced for Seventh and Eighth Weeks of AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE'S 2014 Spring Season

Casting for the seventh and eighth weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2014 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The seventh week will feature eight performances of Swan Lake, June 23-28. Gillian Murphy will dance the role of Odette/Odile on opening night, June 23 opposite Marcelo Gomes as Prince Siegfried and Jared Matthews as von Rothbart. Guest Artist Alina Cojocaru will dance the role of Odette/Odile for the first time with ABT on Friday, June 27 alongside Herman Cornejo as Prince Siegfried and Sascha Radetsky as von Rothbart. Choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, Swan Lake is set to a score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane Schuler. This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. with Julie Kent (Odette/Odile), Angel Corella (Prince Siegfried) and Marcelo Gomes (von Rothbart). Swan Lake has been generously underwritten by R. Chemers Neustein. Costumes for Swan Lake are generously sponsored by the Ellen Everett Kimiatek Costume Preservation Trust.

The eighth week will feature four performances of "A Shakespeare Celebration" comprised of The Dream and The Tempest, June 30 - July 2. Opening night of The Dream, June 30 will be led by Gillian Murphy dancing the role of Titania opposite David Hallberg as Oberon and Herman Cornejo as Puck. James Whiteside will make his New York debut dancing the role of Oberon on Wednesday evening, July 2. Choreographed by Frederick Ashton, The Dream is a ballet in one act adapted from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and set to music by Felix Mendelssohn. The ballet features sets and costumes by David Walker and lighting by John B. Read. The Dream received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on April 2, 1964 danced by Antoinette Sibley (Titania), Anthony Dowell (Oberon) and Keith Martin (Puck). The ballet was given its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on May 24, 2002 danced by Alessandra Ferri (Titania), Ethan Stiefel (Oberon) and Herman Cornejo (Puck). The Dream is presented in loving memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr. by Anka Palitz, and his children Suzy and Michael Palitz. This production has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment For the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Opening night of The Tempest, June 30 features Marcelo Gomes dancing the role of Prospero opposite Daniil Simkin as Ariel, James Whiteside as Caliban, Sarah Lane as Miranda and Joseph Gorak as Ferdinand. Blaine Hoven will make his debut in the role of Caliban on Tuesday, July 1. Alexei Ratmansky's The Tempest, a ballet in one act, is set to music written for the play by Jean Sibelius. Adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name, the ballet features sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Robert Wierzel. Tony Award-winning director Mark Lamos served as the production's dramaturg. The Tempest received its World Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at the David H. Koch Theater in New York with Marcelo Gomes as Prospero, Daniil Simkin as Ariel and Herman Cornejo as Caliban. David H. Koch is the Lead Underwriter of The Tempest. This production is generously supported through an endowed gift from the Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund. Linda Allard, Arlene and Harvey Blau, Mary Jo and Ted Shen and an anonymous donor are Leading Sponsors. Emily and Len Blavatnik, The Gwendolyn and Austin Fragomen Fund and Andrew J. Martin-Weber are Sponsors. Additional support has also been generouslyprovided by the Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Linda and Martin Fell, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton James, Howard S. Paley and Michael and Sue Steinberg. The Tempest is a co-production with The National Ballet of Canada.

Three performances of Coppélia, July 3-5, will close American Ballet Theatre's 2014 Metropolitan Opera season. Debuts include Sascha Radetsky in the role of Franz opposite Xiomara Reyes as Swanilda on Thursday, July 3, and Yuriko Kajiya and Joseph Gorak in the roles of Swanilda and Franz, respectively, on Saturday afternoon, July 5. July 3 and 5 mark the farewell performances of Yuriko Kajiya, Jared Matthews and Sascha Radetsky. Coppélia features staging by Frederic Franklin after Nicholas Sergeyev, music by Léo Delibes, scenery by Tony Straiges, costumes by Patricia Zipprodt and lighting by Brad Fields. Franklin's staging received its ABT premiere at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California on February 14, 1997, danced by Paloma Herrera (Swanilda) and Angel Corella (Franz). Original funding for Coppélia was provided by The Lucia Chase Foundation and The Green Fund, Inc.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. ?Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. ?ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre's 2014 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $20, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City. For more information, visit ABT's website at www.abt.org.

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