Ash White

A Ballet on the music of Edward Elgar and Gustav Holst

The audience of the Vanemuine Theater knows Jevgeni Grib for his mythology-inspired short ballet Metamorphoses. In Ash White, Grib once again delves into deep and enthralling topics such as life, death and yearning for the unattainable. This production in cooperation with playwright and librettist Siret Campbell is inspired by the short story The Sandman ( Der Sandmann ) written by ETA Hoffmann in 1815.

Protagonist Aale’s father died in a fire when she was a child. Years later, when her boyfriend dies the same way, loneliness and horrific memories draw Aale further and further from the external world. The events unravel in an enchanting black-and-white place where the world of the living and the world beyond intertwine. One cannot be sure where reality ends and imagination starts. The audience is confronted with the question: is it possible to let go of fears? Or will our childhood memories haunt us even as adults?

PROGRAM

Premiere on October 14th 2023 at the Vanemuine Theater Grand Building