Puck and pals get a lift from Fairies tale

7:55am Thursday 30th August 2007

In July, 1917, two young girls caused an international stir when they took a series of photographs at the bottom of a Cottingley garden.

Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths claimed to have captured fairies on film - leading to academics including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to debate their authenticity.

Nearly a century later, Northern Ballet Theatre, in conjunction with the National Media Museum in Bradford, has recreated one of the famous Cottingley Fairies photographs.

The striking picture, based on the picture of a ten-year-old Frances with the fairies, is being used to promote the Leeds-based ballet company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream which launches its autumn season.

The Cottingley photographs were taken on a quarter plate camera belonging to Elsie's father. After some rudimentary instruction on how to operate it, she went off with Frances to an area where Cottingley beck ran among the trees behind her family home. An hour later the girls returned triumphant.

The National Media Museum houses a set of the images in its collection, along with other material related to the case including the original cameras used to capture the images.

In NBT's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the fairy world is transported to a sleeper train in the 1940s.

Choreographed by artistic director David Nixon, the ballet sees the romantic antics of a touring dance company played out as it travels by Flying Scotsman from London to Edinburgh.

With costumes inspired by Dior's New Look' of the late 1940s, the Olivier Award-nominated production has stylish black and white sets providing a monochrome contrast to the technicolour dreamworld.

It's a world where a horde of handsome fairies and a playful Puck conspire to cause confusion and a mix-up of romantic partners leads to the Queen of the Fairies falling deliriously in love with a donkey.

There's a more traditional approach to Shakespeare when NBT revives its classic production of Romeo and Juliet.

The faithful interpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy blends dramatic dancing, choreographed by Massimo Moricone, and electrifying fight scenes, created by international Fight Director Jonathan Howell.

Designer Lez Brotherston's opulent set brings the streets of Verona to life and his cat and bird' inspired costumes convey the tensions between the warring Montagues and Capulets. The production is set to Prokofiev's renowned score.

The company ends its season with a new production of classic Christmas adventure The Nutcracker, choreographed by David Nixon who has set it in the Regency period, the time when ETA Hoffman wrote his story The Nutcracker and the Mouseking.

The much-loved story sees Clara's magic wooden doll do battle with an army of mice when the clock strikes midnight.

David says it's "the perfect introduction to classical ballet."

He added: "People return to The Nutcracker because it reminds them of childhood and that magical time when your dreams can become reality. Synonymous with Christmas, The Nutcracker is a seasonal favourite told in a traditional way.

"We are keen to build a strong repertoire of family productions that NBT can perform at Christmas each year and The Nutcracker fits perfectly alongside ballets such as A Christmas Carol and Peter Pan.

Accompanying the autumn season is a series of activities aimed at making NBT's productions more accessible.

There are workshops planned around performances of Romeo and Juliet at the Alhambra, as well as talks about the company, with the opportunity to watch a dance class on stage and ask the dancers questions.

A series of workshops called Get Closer allow people to learn steps from an excerpt from the ballet, accompanied by a live musician.

There are also touch tours of the stage and set for visually impaired audiences, as well as audio-described performances. The tours are part of NBT's long-term partnership with the Royal National Institute for the Blind and Henshaws Society for Blind People.

• Romeo and Juliet runs at the Alhambra from October 23 to 27. For tickets, or to book a place on any of the workshops or touch tours, ring (01274) 432000. A Midsummer Night's Dream runs at West Yorkshire Playhouse from September 6 to 15. Ring (0113) 2137700. The Nutcracker runs at the Leeds Grand from November 27 to December 8. Ring 0870 1214901.

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