MADDADDAM

MADDADDAM description

MADDADDAM is Wayne McGregor's full-length ballet based on Margaret Atwood's trilogy of novels, returning to the Royal Opera House with The Royal Ballet.

Set in an imagined future not far from our own, the ballet follows a mixed group of survivors after a bio-engineered pandemic has wiped out most of humanity and changed the Earth as we know it. As they try to cope with a dangerous present, they piece together the events that led to the catastrophe, from the corporate science and genetic engineering behind it to the new species created to replace humankind. The story draws on all three novels, Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam, as well as on Atwood's non-fiction writing and activism, and explores extinction and invention, hubris and humanity, love and loss.

The ballet is a co-production between The Royal Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada, which gave the world premiere in Toronto in November 2022. The Royal Ballet staged the UK premiere at the Royal Opera House in 2024, and that run sold out. This revival is part of The Royal Ballet's celebration of McGregor's 20 years as its Resident Choreographer. The production is performed in three acts with two intervals and is recommended for ages 16+, as it contains adult themes including depictions of violence and sexual violence.

Wayne McGregor choreographs and directs, with Margaret Atwood as creative consultant. McGregor has been Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet since 2006, and his works for the company include Chroma and Woolf Works, both winners of the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. The original score is by Max Richter, who also composed the music for Woolf Works. Atwood is the author of The Handmaid's Tale and a two-time winner of the Booker Prize. Set design is by We Not I, costumes by fashion designer Gareth Pugh, lighting by Lucy Carter, film design by Ravi Deepres and dramaturgy by Uzma Hameed.

Royal Ballet dancers listed for the run include Fumi Kaneko, Yasmine Naghdi, Melissa Hamilton, Mayara Magri, William Bracewell, Matthew Ball and Marcelino Sambé. The score is played live by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

Book now to see Atwood's vision of a world after collapse, told through McGregor's choreography and Richter's music.

Playing at Royal Opera House

Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD GB (venue info)

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