The National Ballet of Canada

Overview

Wayne McGregor, the multi-award-winning choreographer of Chroma and Genus, has joined forces with one of the world’s greatest living writers, Margaret Atwood, to create a thrilling new ballet triptych for The National Ballet of Canada. MADDADDAM is based on Atwood’s acclaimed novel trilogy, Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam, and features original music from the ground-breaking contemporary composer Max Richter. Themes of extinction and invention, hubris and humanity are spliced together with aspects of Atwood's activism and her deep connection to the Canadian landscape, past and present.

The Premise

MADDADDAM is inspired by Atwood’s speculative fictions, in which, famously, nothing is invented that is not already occurring somewhere in our world. In Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy, humanity has been nearly obliterated apart from a small group who must forge a new way of life in the ruins. Characterized by exuberant imagination, disruptive wit and unflinching moral acuity, Atwood’s writing holds up a mirror to the terrifying consequences of out-of-control technological experimentation, greed, misogyny and colonialism.

Five Things to Know

1. 1An acclaimed choreographer of contemporary ballet and movement, McGregor channels his curiosity about art, science and technology into trailblazing multi-disciplinary works. He creates for theatre, dance, opera, film, music videos and fashion shows and holds an Honorary Doctor of Science from Plymouth University.
    
2. 2MADDADDAM has three acts, each with a distinct scenic world. Precise and minimalist, the design reflects the interests of the creative team in architecture, typography and graphic design.
    
3. 3MADDADDAM sees McGregor reuniting with his frequent collaborator Max Richter, the influential British composer, pianist, producer and remixer. Richter composed the scores for McGregor’s Infra (2008) and Woolf Works (2015), among other works, and his music is in high demand in film and television.
    
4. 4The cutting-edge creative team also includes fashion designer Gareth Pugh, the design firm We Not I, lighting designer Lucy Carter and filmmaker Ravi Deepres. All are leading figures in art, technology and design.”
    
5. 5MADDADDAM is the National Ballet’s third full-length co-production with The Royal Ballet in London and the first to have its world premiere in Toronto.

Watch and Explore

MADDADDAM Teaser

The Creators

English choreographer Wayne McGregor has gained international recognition for his kinetic, interdisciplinary approach to dance. He is Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor, Artistic Associate at Sadler's Wells Theatre and since 2006, Resident Choreographer at The Royal Ballet – the first contemporary choreographer ever to hold this position.

Canada’s most decorated author, Margaret Atwood has written more than 50 books of fiction, poetry, critical essays and graphic novels and she is published in more than 45 countries worldwide. Her bestseller The Handmaid’s Tale became an award-winning television series and The Testaments, the long-awaited sequel, was the co-winner of the 2019 Booker Prize.

The Composer

Born in Germany, Max Richter is an influential composer and musician renowned for combining classical tradition with electronic and contemporary music. His oeuvre includes a bold reworking of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and he composes prolifically for screen and dance. Richter collaborates frequently with English choreographer Wayne McGregor, having composed original music for his ballets Infra, Kairos and Woolf Works, among other projects.  

Reviews

“[Wayne McGregor is] an adventuresome experimenter with a restless mind, intent on pushing his disparate audience, his collaborators and himself.” – The New York Times  

“A pioneer in exploiting the links between his art, and the scientific development that have revolutionised 21st-century life.” – The Financial Times  

“Art, music, philosophy, science, current events... When McGregor is working at his best, they come together in a magnificently stimulating whole.” – The Telegraph  

“Margaret Atwood has long been Canada’s most famous writer, and current events have polished the oracular sheen of her reputation.” – The New Yorker 

“Working with dancers is, for me, one of the great pleasures because my world is full of text and ideas and concepts. Dance is kind of a different language. It’s very emotional, but it is, in a way, abstract and nonverbal.” – Max Richter in Vanity Fair

Credits

Inspired by Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy

Choreographer:
Wayne McGregor, CBE

Original Music:
Max Richter *

Creative Consultant:
Margaret Atwood

Design:
We Not I

Costume Designer:
Gareth Pugh

Lighting Design:
Lucy Carter

Film Design:
Ravi Deepres

Dramaturgy:
Uzma Hameed

Assistant to the Choreographer:
Jenny Tattersall

Film Design Creative Team:

Film Design Associate and Lidar:
Luke Unsworth

Animation Specialist:
Steven Spencer

Film producer:
Pip Piper

Assistant Production and Art Direction:
Evy Dutheil

Assistant producer Toronto/Montreal:
Lucy Cameron

Camera Assistant:
Nigel Tang

Toronto Location Scout:
Vanessa Shah

Special Thanks to:
Ryerson Urban Farm, Churchill Science Research Centre, Growing Underground, Discover Churchill, CN Tower, Montréal Biosphere and Habitat, Union Station, The Westin Harbourfront & The Fairmont Royal York.

* © 2022 Decca Publishing, a division of Universal Music Publishing Group

World Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, November 23, 2022

Co-produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet (UK).

Lead philanthropic support for MADDADDAM is provided by The Walter Carsen New Creations Fund, Rosamund Ivey, The Gail Hutchison Fund, Tim & Frances Price, Gretchen & Donald Ross, O.C. and The Producers’ Circle.

The Producers’ Circle: Gail & Mark Appel, John & Claudine Bailey, Inger Bartlett & Marshal Stearns, Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Judy Korthals & Peter Irwin, Mona & Harvey Levenstein, Jerry & Joan Lozinski, The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado, C.M & Jim Pitblado, C.M., The Harry & Lillian Seymour Family Foundation and The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation.

The National Ballet of Canada gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following: