Sarah Lane in The Sleeping Beauty. Photo: Rosalie O'Connor.

Casting for the seventh and eighth weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Eight performances of Swan Lake begin Monday, June 24, led by Hee Seo as Odette/Odile, Cory Stearns as Prince Siegfried and Thomas Forster as von Rothbart.  The matinee on Wednesday, June 26, will feature debuts by Aran Bell as Prince Siegfried and Jose Sebastian as von Rothbart.  Swan Lake is set to the 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).

The final week of ABT’s 2019 Spring Season will feature eight performances of The Sleeping Beauty, July 1-6.  Monday evening’s performance, July 1, will be led by Isabella Boylston as Princess Aurora, James Whiteside as Prince Désiré, Stella Abrera as the Lilac Fairy, Nancy Raffa as Carabosse, Christine Shevchenko as Diamond Fairy, Gabe Stone Shayer as the Bluebird and Skylar Brandt as Princess Florine.  Keith Roberts and Katherine Williams will perform the roles of Carabosse and Princess Florine, respectively, for the first time on Tuesday, July 2.  The matinee on Wednesday, July 3 will feature debuts by Joo Won Ahn (Bluebird) and Catherine Hurlin (Princess Florine).  Aran Bell will make his debut as Prince Désiré at the evening performance on Wednesday, July 3.  Set to the classic score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty has choreography by Marius Petipa and staging and additional choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, with assistance by Tatiana Ratmansky.  The production features scenery and costumes by Tony Award®-winning designer Richard Hudson.  Hudson’s designs are based on the historic work of Léon Bakst, who created a seminal version of The Sleeping Beauty for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1921. This production of The Sleeping Beauty received its World Premiere on March 3, 2015 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, performed by Diana Vishneva (Princess Aurora) and Marcelo Gomes (Prince Désiré).  The Sleeping Beauty is a co-production with Teatro alla Scala.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2019 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $25, 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.

ABT’s production of Swan Lake has been generously underwritten by R. Chemers Neustein.

ABT gratefully acknowledges the Lead Sponsor of The Sleeping Beauty, David H. Koch.  Additional leadership support is generously provided by the Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of 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.

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