New Production

World Premiere July 4–9, 2008

This new Mark Morris Dance Group production of Prokofiev's original version of Romeo & Juliet, On Motifs of Shakespere, choreographed by Mark Morris, was commissioned by the Fisher Center at Bard College and first performed by the American Symphony Orchestra, led by Leon Botstein, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. An international consortium of co-commissioners have the exclusive license to present the production from its world premiere at Bard College on July 4–9, 2008. The production will feature scenic design by Allen Moyer, costume design by Martin Pakledinaz, and lighting design by James F. Ingalls, all of whom are longtime collaborators of Mark Morris.

"The opportunity to present the premiere of one of the greatest full-length works for dance in its original form—the one completed by the composer without regard to the pressures of Stalinist censorship—is thrilling," said Leon Botstein, co-artistic director of the Bard Music Festival, music director of the American Symphony Orchestra, and president of Bard College. "This is one of the few, genuinely significant, moments of discovery. And if that were not enough, the opportunity to collaborate with Mark Morris, a choreographer uniquely attuned to music, promises to make the occasion memorable and historic."