Opening Night Gala Performance on Monday, June 13 to Feature Three Lead Casts in Don Quixote

Catherine Hurlin and Aran Bell to Lead New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage on Monday, June 20

Catherine Hurlin and Aran Bell in Of Love and Rage. Photo: Gene Schiavone.

NEW YORK, NY — Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2022 Summer season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The season will begin with a special gala performance of Don Quixote on Monday, June 13, featuring a different leading cast in each act.  Dancing the roles of Kitri, Basilio, Mercedes, and Espada will be Christine Shevchenko, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher, and Thomas Forster in Act I; Hee Seo, Joo Won Ahn, Katherine Williams, and Calvin Royal III in Act II; and Catherine Hurlin, Aran Bell, Cassandra Trenary, and Gabe Stone Shayer in Act III.

The first week will continue with seven additional performances of Don Quixote. New York debuts in the full ballet include Skylar Brandt (Kitri), Cassandra Trenary (Mercedes), and Gabe Stone Shayer (Espada) on Tuesday, June 14; Catherine Hurlin (Kitri) and Aran Bell (Basilio) on Wednesday evening, June 15;  Katherine Williams (Mercedes) on Thursday, June 16; and Joo Won Ahn (Basilio) and Andrii Ishchuk (Espada) on Friday, June 17. Don Quixote is staged by Kevin McKenzie and Susan Jones, with choreography after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky. The ballet is set to music by Ludwig Minkus and features scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto, and lighting by Natasha Katz. The McKenzie/Jones staging of the current production was first performed by ABT on June 12, 1995, with Paloma Herrera (Kitri) and Julio Bocca (Basilio).

The second week will begin with the New York Premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage on Monday, June 20, led by Catherine Hurlin as Callirhoe, Aran Bell as Chaereas, Blaine Hoven as Dionysius, Cory Stearns as Mithridates, Roman Zhurbin as the King of Babylon, and Katherine Williams as the Queen of Babylon. Christine Shevchenko and Thomas Forster will make their New York debuts as Callirhoe and Chaereas on Tuesday, June 21, alongside debuts by Guest Artist Daniel Camargo (Dionysius), Jarod Curley (Mithridates), Cory Stearns (King of Babylon), and Chloe Misseldine (Queen of Babylon). Calvin Royal III, Patrick Frenette, and Zhong-Jing Fang will dance the roles of Chaereas, Mithridates, and the Queen of Babylon, respectively, for the first time at the matinee on Wednesday, June 22, with Hee Seo and Joo Won Ahn in their New York debuts as Callirhoe and Dionysius.  Based on the 1^st century AD historical romance novel Callirhoe by Chariton, Of Love and Rage tells the story of star-crossed lovers Callirhoe and Chaereas in ancient Greece. The two-act ballet is set to music by Aram Khachaturian, arranged by Philip Feeney, with sets and costumes by Jean-Marc Puissant and lighting by Duane Schuler. Of Love and Rage, Ratmansky’s 17^th work for ABT, was given its World Premiere on March 5, 2020, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California led by Catherine Hurlin (Callirhoe), Aran Bell (Chaereas), James Whiteside (Dionysius), Cory Stearns (Mithridates), Roman Zhurbin (King of Babylon), and Katherine Williams (Queen of Babylon).

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2022 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $30, are available online, at the Met box office, or by phone at 212-362-6000.  The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64^th and 65^th streets in New York City.  For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.

Complete casting follows.

ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT’s repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America’s National Ballet Company®.

This production of Don Quixote is generously supported through an endowed gift from Anka Palitz, in memory of Clarence J. Palitz, Jr.

Special support for Of Love and Rage, part of the Ratmansky Project, has been generously provided by Elizabeth Segerstrom, John Rallis and Mary Lynn Bergman-Rallis, and through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

Leadership for the Ratmansky Project has been provided by Avery and Andrew F. Barth, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton E. James, and the Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund.

LG Signature is the Global Electronics Partner of American Ballet Theatre.

Bank of America is the Lead Corporate Partner of ABT Studio Company.

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 The Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

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