The Princess And The Goblin

Ensemble

King Papa’s Friends:
Lisa Barrieau, Peng-Yu Chen, Christian Clark, Pedro Gamino, Heath Gill, Jonah Hooper, Yoomi Kim, Nadia Mara, Miguel Montoya, Jackie Nash, Tommy Panto, Rachel Van Buskirk

Great-Great-Grandmother Irene’s Companions:
Peng-Yu Chen and Nadia Mara with Lisa Barrieau, Briley Jozwiak, Yoomi Kim, Jackie Nash, Abigail Tan, Rachel Van Buskirk

Goblin:
Lisa Barrieau, Peng-Yu Chen, Christian Clark, Pedro Gamino, Heath Gill, Jonah Hooper, Briley Jozwiak, Yoomi Kim, Nadia Mara, Miguel Montoya, Jackie Nash, Tommy Panto, Abigail Tan, Jared Tan, Jesse Tyler, Rachel Van Buskirk

Eleven Stolen Children:
Sophie Basarrate, Tristan Bogost, Charlotte Brewer, Christina Carlos, Catherine Carlos, Hanae Dillon, Anna Scott Johnson, Pryor Krugman, Joshua Nunamaker, Kevin Silverstein, Cameron Walls, Grace Brawn, Fiona O’Halloran, Kennedy Walls

Our story begins at King Papa’s garden party as his daughter Princess Irene discovers the town’s children being kidnapped by the Goblin. Ignored by King Papa and the other adults, Princess Irene and her friend Curdie enter the Goblin Kingdom. With the help of her Great-Great-Grandmother Irene, Princess Irene and Curdie rescue the children.

Prologue

Great-Great-Grandmother Irene, Princess Irene, Curdie, Lootie with Stella and Blu and King Papa

I. King Papa’s Garden Party

Full cast

II. Princess Irene Meets Her Namesake

Great-Great-Grandmother Irene, Princess Irene and Companions

III. Curdie Saves Princess Irene 

Princess Irene, Curdie, King of the Goblin, Stella and Blu, Eleven Children and Goblin

IV. Curdie Held in Goblin Kingdom 

Queen of the Goblin, King of the Goblin, Curdie, Helfer and Podge, Stella and Blu, Eleven Children and Goblin

V. The Invisible Thread

Great-Great-Grandmother Irene, Princess Irene and Companions

VI. Princess Irene’s New Shoes

Princess Irene, Helfer and Podge, Curdie and Goblin

VII. Divertissement 

Minuet: Princess Irene Enthroned
German Dance: Helfer and Podge Dance for Princess Irene
Goblin Dance: Goblin Perform in New Shoes
Rondo: Curdie Courted by Two Goblin
Grand Pas de Deux: The King and Queen of the Goblin Take Their Turn

VIII. The Escape

Full cast

IV. Curdie Learns to See Great-Great-Grandmother Irene

Princess Irene, Curdie, Great-Great-Grandmother Irene and Stella and Blu

X. Princess Irene Teaches The Children 

Full Cast with Eleven Children

XI. King Papa and His Children 

King Papa with Stella and Blu, Lootie and Irene and Curdie 

XII. The New Kingdom 

Full Cast with Eleven Children

The Princess and The Goblin was co-commissioned by two North American ballet companies: Atlanta Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. This unique arrangement allowed the two companies to share monetary and creative resources and provided Tharp with an extended rehearsal period.

This full-length narrative ballet is based on George MacDonald’s fantasy tale of the same name. In the story, a young princess must take charge when the children of the kingdom have been kidnapped by goblins, which dwell in the mountain caves. The Princess and The Goblin features a cast that spans the ranks of a company – principals to ballet school children.

After the February 2012 premiere by Atlanta Ballet, Tharp spent several weeks in Winnipeg, Canada revising and re-staging the ballet on Royal Winnipeg Ballet dancers. The cast featured two guest artists: Paloma Herrera of American Ballet Theatre and John Selya, a longtime Tharp alum.

This ballet is dedicated to Maurice Sendak and gratefully acknowledges his work Outside Over There. – Twyla Tharp

From the original program: “The creation of Twyla Tharp’s The Princess And The Goblin made possibile through the support of Merry L. and Chris M. Carlos in Memory of Mrs. Thalia N. Carlos, Patti Eloise Wallace, Anonymous, The Rich Foundation, The Asper Family in Memory of Babs Asper, Susan Glass, C.M. and Arni Thorstenson, Dr. Robert Ross and Angela B. Ross, with additional support from Ginny and Charles Brewer and the National Endowment for the Arts.”