Artistic Director’s Notebook: The Sleeping Beauty 2025

Dear Friends,

It is with great excitement that PNB presents our all-new production of The Sleeping Beauty. You may ask what’s “all-new” when the original Beauty premiered 135 years ago. In fact, we have a unique window into what those first performances were like through the astute work of stager and historical researcher Doug Fullington. My appreciation for Doug’s guidance and devotion to this project is beyond measure. Three years ago, when the idea for a new Beauty first took root, Doug was my first call. I wanted to utilize the unparalleled structure and inspiration of Marius Petipa’s choreography as a base. The Stepanov notation Doug uses is a remarkable resource and quite detailed. There were many welcome discoveries in the research, like the agency afforded Princess Aurora by her parents and the redeemable qualities of angry Carabosse. Ultimately, we retained what worked but sought to pull the story out of the confines of a specific time and place. We imagined a Beauty set in a mythical land resembling the Pacific Northwest. We wanted a Beauty that anyone could step into, explore, and discover. We recognized a great ballet from 1890 could benefit from a reimagining.

Peter Boal gives performance notes to Angelica Generosa, photo © Angela Sterling.

My second call was to costume designer Paul Tazewell. Paul is known to PNB audiences for his Swan Lake designs and admired around the world for his work on Hamilton, West Side Story, and Wicked. His 85 costume designs are bold, exquisitely detailed, and wonderfully fresh. After receiving sketches from Paul, dozens of talented artisans devoted almost two years to making his designs a reality–268 costumes in all! If you visited our studios in the past two years, you witnessed up to 40 creators toiling away. This effort was led by our core costume shop employees, with craftspeople from across the region and country pitching in to help. Meleta Buckstaff oversaw this massive undertaking. Meleta and these extraordinary individuals deserve our profound gratitude.

Meleta Buckstaff and Paul Tazewell in the PNB Costume Shop, photo © Lindsay Thomas.

My third conversation was with Preston Singletary. I introduced myself one night at a dinner party. The conversation went something like this:

“Hello Preston, I’m Peter Boal—have you ever considered designing sets for a ballet?”
“No.”
“Would you like to?”
“Tell me more.”

I’ve long admired Preston’s work, not only as a glass artist, but as a storyteller. His retelling of Tlingit myths and lore through the lens of colored, etched, and painted glass embodies the ability to revisit tradition through a new medium. As we discussed the story of The Sleeping Beauty, Preston was quick to point to similarities in Tlingit tales. The meddlesome Carabosse seemed to mirror the characteristics of the Raven. Preston spoke of the Eagle and Raven moieties, offering a parallel to the discord and eventual reconciliation between Carabosse and the Papillon family. Butterfly motifs in Beauty are inspired by Preston’s glass baskets. He helped design masks for the Wolf and Ogre and shared insights about Tlingit design with Paul and all our craftspeople. Preston helped define the mythical land with migrating monarch butterflies, richly colored madrone trees, rain forests, rivers, and towering evergreens.

Preston Singletary works on set elements for The Sleeping Beauty, photo © Lindsay Thomas.

Projectionist Wendall Harrington ran with our Northwest concepts, adding inspired images of flora and fauna. She worked closely with Reed Nakayama and created multi-faceted lighting designs. Charlene Hall translated Preston’s ideas into images and ground plans. You’ll see Charlene’s hand in the dreamy watercolor images on portals and backdrops. Painters, carpenters, and prop builders brought our designers’ visions to wondrous life, adding their own creativity where and when needed. Puppeteer Basil Twist worked with Erik Andor to create an irascible/lovable ogre and an entourage of menacing mice.

Basil Twist works with PNB School Professional Division students, photo © Lindsay Thomas.

PNB’s artistic team rehearsed cast members, refining individual portrayals and the crystalline exactitude of choreography. Carla Körbes and Kaori Nakamura, two memorable Auroras, returned to the studio to coach dancers and share insights.

The beauty of this production is in the shared effort. It extends far beyond the physical dancing and building of sets, props, and costumes. Tchaikovsky’s score expertly played by the PNB Orchestra offers the ground upon which we dance and the heights to which we soar. A two-year fundraising effort led by Ellen Walker, our development department, and many others allowed us to achieve our vision. Early donors unknowingly gifted confidence alongside financial support. Introducing this production to the community, building anticipation, and selling tickets has been a year-long process helmed by our marketing department. By attending, endorsing, and supporting this production, you too are a part of this milestone moment in PNB history. It is yours. It is ours. It’s part of our community. Welcome to the house of Papillon and the timeless tale of The Sleeping Beauty.

Kind Regards,