Kismet / Emma Bovary

• Featuring 36 dancers, Kismet is a much larger work than Wolfe’s 2020 creation Soul, a pair of duets filmed for the company’s digital season and then presented live at Harbourfront Centre. 
  
  
• The piece was inspired by Ezio Bosso’s Symphony No. 2: Under the Trees’ Voices, which references the Val de Fiemme in Italy, whose trees have been used for centuries to craft musical instruments.  
  
  
• Kismet includes a set piece of a tree, but it is the dancers who make it mutable and alive. Their bodies are limbs, trunk and leaves.
  
  
• The tree reflects a central idea in Kismet: our tendency to damage things in the pursuit of our dreams, for example when we cut down beautiful trees for their wood.
  
  
• Speaking about his approach to dance, Wolfe has said: “The Métis people were from two worlds and they connected and created a community, one culture. There’s something really beautiful about that idea and I try to bring it into my life and my choreography.” 

Exploring Fate: Jera Wolfe on the World Premiere of Kismet
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Born in Toronto, Jera Wolfe is a Dora Award-winning choreographer and performer of Métis heritage. He has collaborated with a range of outstanding dance companies and festivals, including Fall for Dance North, Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur, Danse Danse and Jacob’s Pillow, with recent works including Bare for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Arise for Canada’s National Ballet School.  

Choreography: 
Jera Wolfe

Music:  
Ezio Bosso, Symphony No. 2: “Under the Trees' Voices", Mvmts I & II
By arrangement with Buxus Edizioni Srl, publisher and copyright owner.

Costume Design: 
Robyn Clarke 

Lighting Designer:
Simon Rossiter

Scenic Coordination by the National Ballet of Canada Scene Shop at the Gretchen Ross Production Centre

World Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto,  May 29, 2026

Produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada.

Lead philanthropic support for Kismet is provided by Gretchen Ross in memory of Donald Ross, O.C.

Additional support is provided by The Walter Carsen New Creations Fund and The Delaney Family Foundation.

By Helen Pickett and James Bonas. 

In a small town, the doctor and his wife get ready for a ball. Her husband Charles brings her dress to her and she is thrilled, excited and exalted to step out of her grey marriage and into the light. She is a woman who dreams of bigger things, of romance and revelations, of a life that might yet be. She is Emma Bovary.

At the ball, Emma’s aspirations and dreams are realized and she finds herself swept into the social whirl and the arms of a Viscomte. Charles, delighted with his wife’s happiness, looks on in redundant pleasure.

Back home, under the thumb of her mother in law, Emma cannot breathe. Day by day her humdrum life and its lack of colour ticks by, lifted only by the misbehaving maid Felicité. Charles, the apple of his mother’s eye, assumes all is comfort and bliss.

In the bedroom upstairs, Emma has slipped into the silken sheets of a novel but Charles disturbs her. He looks for comfortable intimacy, she searches for passion and abandon. Failing to find it in the present, she drifts into her imagination and floats away from her reality and into a realm of freedom.

Monsieur Lheureux, a purveyor of fancy goods, with a nice line in sales patter and upholstery, arrives and persuades Emma to replace the empty space of her emotional life with luxury and delight. He offers silks, furniture and the sense of a life she wishes she could be living. Something away from where she is – the imagined future, the possible present. Unmoored from the floor she is free to live in a space where she can be whatever version of herself she desires. She parts with an IOU and acquires a beautiful chair. She places it in a special spot and leaves.

Charles’ mother arrives with Berthe, her granddaughter and spots the new and expensive chair. The child, loved by Felicité and her father, is both spurned and needed by Emma. She cannot understand the child’s presence in her life – she cannot form an image of herself as the mother of a daughter whose only option is to grow to be a woman in this limiting and limited world. Her husband has a visitor, a handsome visitor. His name is Rodolphe and Emma’s eyes meet his in a suspended moment. A path is traced before them into the future.

At church, the community gathers and Emma arrives late. She is unsettled and looks for comfort in religion. A moment of epiphany sees a vision of God – a great unveiling of peace and glory. Emma is beatific in this heavenly light – surely, with God’s blessing all will be well. Rodolphe watches. Seeing Emma preparing to leave with her family, he seizes a fragile, fleeting moment alone and allows her to feel the full force of his charm. She is dizzy with the thrilling attention.

An accident brings an injured man to Emma’s home carried by Rodolphe and another. Charles must save the day. He dithers in the moment of decision, and the man is suffering terribly. Emma runs to Homais, the pharmacist, for painkiller and he comes back with her bringing the drug with him. The operation is underway, but Charles is unsuccessful in his attempt to save the man’s leg and is forced to amputate. Emma’s disappointment is plain. In the aftermath of the surgery, Rodolphe takes the chance to pass Emma a note arranging a meeting. In secret.

In the garden at the back of her house, the two lovers find each other. Emma realizes the ideal version of herself in the silver shadows of the magnolia flowers and in a moonlit night she finds the release, ecstasy and joy in Rodolphe’s arms she yearns for. He finds a new distraction, a new and charming addition to his list of conquests. Emma’s fate is sealed.

Meanwhile, her purchasing has continued unabated and she is now seriously in debt. She visits Lheureux and in a frenzy she buys chair upon chair, issues one IOU after another and unwittingly digs the heavy soil that will come to bury her. Back home, she conceals her purchases from her mother-in-law in a triumph of sleight of hand.

But such highs are hollow and she crashes into an equally deep pit of isolation: from her husband who bores her, from her lover who grows more tired of her by the day, from the shame she feels in the face of the priest and the steady, bubbling fear of the salesman in whose debt she is now dangerously entangled. A web of men who surround her, pull at her and take her freedom.

Back to the day and her affair continues: she is now dangerously open with her lover in the bustling street for all to see. They make a plan to run away but, increasingly disinterested, Rodolphe leaves and walks from her. She is alone and numb.

Charles arrives to take her to the opera to bring some joy. There she sees Lucia Di Lamamoor and the drama sweeps her up. The music, the sweep of the story and the tragic figure of Lucia – blood soaked and mindless – combines with Emma to create a moment of ecstatic connection. She enters the world of the opera but the world around her slides. Into a nightmare. What is solid, stable, known becomes fluid and she is lost.

Back at home her world fragments – husband, child, family, fears and hopes collide in a disorienting set of visions and she begins to panic. The edges are fraying. Lheureux arrives and finally, terribly calls in his debt. She must pay or he will take everything. All of her beautiful things, her pride and her shame piled high in the street for all to see. And so she runs to Rodolphe for money and finds him in the street – he must help her, must help her find a way out. But he rejects her, disgusted. She pleads, reminds him of their love, their connection, what he felt for her. And her husband looks on, their child in his arms. Rodolphe leaves and Emma’s world finally unravels. There is no choice left but one.

Emma is a young idealistic woman of ambition and dreams, who yearns for something more than her life and marriage offers her.

Charles, Emma’s husband, is a country doctor who adores his wife but bores her, never truly seeing or challenging Emma.

Madame Bovary, Emma’s mother-in-law, is protective of her son and determined to keep the family together.

Lheureux, a skillful salesman of fancy goods who entices Emma into spending far beyond her means.

Rodolphe, Emma’s lover, is a wealthy local man who is a charming and charismatic serial seducer.

Homais, town pharmacist and self-styled ‘man of science’, with a penchant for gossip that exceeds any useful medical knowledge.

• Helen Pickett often looks to literature for inspiration, as with her award-winning production of The Crucible for Scottish Ballet, based on Arthur Miller’s play.
  
  
• Pickett worked with director James Bonas on a treatment for Emma Bovary, a storytelling approach specific to film and theatre.
  
  
• Renaming Madame Bovary as Emma Bovary emphasizes Emma’s individuality and aligns with Pickett’s goal to tell the story from her perspective.
  
  
• Canada’s Michael Gianfrancesco designed the sets and costumes, using sombre colours to represent Emma’s domestic life and bursts of colour when her imagination ignites.
  
  
• Composer Peter Salem wrote the award-winning music for the popular television series Call the Midwife and previously worked with Pickett on The Crucible and Camino Real.

Helen Pickett spent over a decade at Frankfurt Ballet under the direction of William Forsythe and is trained in method acting, somatic techniques and film. She is the former Resident Choreographer of Atlanta Ballet and has created over 60 works internationally, including The Crucible, Camino Real and The Exiled.

James Bonas is an acclaimed director of international theatre, opera and dance combining traditional and contemporary elements, such as video design and animation. His recent work includes The Snow Queen for Opéra national du Rhin, Flight for Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and his award-winning production of The Crucible with choreographer Helen Pickett.

Award-winning English composer Peter Salem draws from his diverse background in ballet, film, television and theatre in his score for Emma Bovary. The cinematic music mirrors the arc of Emma’s experience, embodying the clock-ticking monotony of her marriage and the soaring heights of her imagination, passionate affairs and compulsive overspending.

Choreography: 
Helen Pickett

Directors: 
James Bonas and Helen Pickett

Treatment by: 
Helen Pickett and James Bonas

Music and Sound: 
Peter Salem

Set and Costume Design: 
Michael Gianfrancesco

Lighting Design: 
Bonnie Beecher

Animations: 
Grégoire Pont

Projection Design: 
Anouar Brissel

World Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, November 10, 2023

Produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada.

Lead philanthropic support for Emma Bovary is provided by The Sabourin Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Anna McCowan-Johnson New Creations Fund and The Producers' Circle.

The Producers’ Circle (2024): Gail & Mark Appel, John & Claudine Bailey, 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 Lozinski, O.C. & Joan Lozinski, O.C., The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., The Harry & Lillian Seymour Family Foundation, The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation and Alexander Younger & Sarah Richardson.

Tickets can be purchased online at national.ballet.ca or over the phone by calling 416 (1 866) 345 9595. If you have questions about specific seating locations or need accessible seating, our Audience and Donor Services team are happy to help.

Main Season Seating Map

Tickets start at $56. Detailed pricing for each price zone is available at time of purchase.

When picking up tickets at the Box Office, you will be asked to provide photo ID and the credit card of purchase to receive your tickets. Please ensure you arrive in plenty of time to collect your tickets prior to the start of the performance.

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Please note, the box office at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is open during The National Ballet of Canada’s performance season two hours prior to the performance start time. Doors to the Four Seasons Centre are open one hour prior to the performance. Our phone lines remain open for all your ticketing needs and tickets can be purchased online anytime at your convenience.

Gift Certificates are available in any denomination. Call (1 866) 416 345 9595.

A limited number of Rush tickets are available for up to 50% at 11:00 am on the day of the performance for select performances, subject to availability. Rush tickets are limited to two per person and can be purchased online with the promo code RUSH, or over the phone at 416 (1 866) 345 9595. Excludes The Nutcracker and the Gala.

Please Note: Rush tickets can also be purchased in person at the Box Office at the Four Seasons Centre, subject to availability. The Box Office is open two hours before the performance.

Standing Room tickets are $12 and go on sale at 11:00 am on the day of the performance. For 11:00 am performances on December 24 and 31, tickets will go on sale at 9:00 am. Standing Room tickets can now be purchased online with the promo code STAND, or over the phone at 416 (1 866) 345 9595. Subject to availability and limited to 2 per person. Tickets must be collected in person at the Box Office counter, open 2 hours before the performance. Excludes the Gala.

Please Note: Standing Room tickets can also be purchased in person at the Box Office at the Four Seasons Centre, subject to availability. The Box Office is open 2 hours before the performance.

Tips for Standing Room ticket holders:

• Please wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to stand for the duration of the performance
• In consideration of other audience members, please stand as close to the railing as possible and avoid excessive movement during the performance
• Not recommended for children
• Portable sitting devices and sitting on the railings is not permitted
• Each of the locations have a hook and a leaning rail, we recommend patrons be a minimum of 5’ height to view the performance clearly
• Please note, the Four Seasons Centre is not responsible for lost or stolen items

Toronto Arts Workers can access $45 Rush Tickets at 11:00 am the day of the performance, subject to availability, with promo code ARTSWORKERRUSH (excluding The Nutcracker and Gala). Tickets must be picked up in person at the Box Office, open 2 hours before the performance. Arts Workers must present valid Arts Worker ID when collecting tickets.

Please Note: Toronto Arts Workers tickets can also be purchased in person at the Box Office at the Four Seasons Centre, subject to availability. The Box Office is open 2 hours before the performance.

All performances take place at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, located at 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, on the southeast corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West.

The main theatre entrance can be found on the southeast corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West. There are direct entrances to the venue from Osgoode Subway Station and the underground parking garage.

Parking

Underground parking is available at the Four Seasons Centre for approximately 200 vehicles. The entrance is located on York Street, south of Queen Street West.

Additional parking is located just steps away at the GREEN P lot under Nathan Phillips Square. For more information on this and other lots in the vicinity, visit GreenP.com.

The designated drop-off area is located on the east side of University Avenue between Queen and Richmond Streets.

By Public Transit

TTC
Four Seasons Centre is directly accessible from Osgoode Subway station on Yonge-University Line 1. The 501 Queen streetcar stops outside the building at the corner of University Avenue. Visit ttc.ca for more information.

GO Transit
From Union Station, it's a 10-minute walk to the theatre, heading north along York Street to Queen Street West and west to University Avenue. Alternatively, you can take the subway from Union to Osgoode Station. Visit GoTransit.com for more information.

Yes. The National Ballet of Canada is committed to honouring its performance schedule and all performances proceed as scheduled, despite weather conditions and traffic delays.

If travelling to the theatre in inclement weather, please allow plenty of extra time and check the TTC or GO Transit for delays and updates.

The National Ballet regrets that tickets not used due to inclement weather, traffic delays or TTC closures cannot be refunded or exchanged.

For an up-to-date list of transit delays, please visit please ttc.ca or gotransit.ca.

All sales are final with no refunds. However, let us know up to 24 hours prior to a performance and we can exchange your tickets at a cost of $10 per ticket (exchanges are FREE for Subscribers).

Contact Audience and Donor Services at 416 (1 866) 345 9595 and provide your order number, which can be found on the right side of your printed or digital ticket, or on your order confirmation. Tickets may be exchanged up to 24 hours before your original performance date.

Subscribers are welcome to exchange tickets throughout the season free of charge.

Single ticket buyers can exchange their tickets, subject to a $10 per ticket exchange fee. Requests must be received 24 hours prior to the performance. Requests to upgrade to a different price zone will be charged at the time of the exchange.

Become a Subscriber

If you’re unable to attend your performance or exchange to an alternate date, you can donate back your tickets and get a tax receipt in the full amount. We are happy to issue a tax receipt for any value over $20. Contact Audience and Donor Services at 416 (1 866) 345 9595.

Yes but for the sake of our dancers and other audience members, latecomers will be seated only during a suitable break in the performance, so please be sure to give yourself enough time to get to the theatre.

Ticket prices are all inclusive and include a $2.00 Creative Capital Fund fee, 13% HST, $4.50 for Capital Improvement Fund and a $0.25 digital fee.

We welcome children who are old enough to enjoy The National Ballet of Canada's performances, however some of our productions may not be enjoyable for young children.

A child is considered aged two to 13, however we recommend that ballet performances are not suitable for most children under five. Babes in arms, or children under two years of age will not be admitted to performances.

We encourage questions with regard to the suitability of a performance prior to purchasing a ticket for a child and our Audience and Donor Services staff would be happy to advise you. Please call us at 416 (1 866) 345 9595 or email info@national.ballet.ca.

All patrons, including children, must have a ticket to enter the theatre; children must be seated beside the accompanying adult.

A child must be able to sit quietly and not disrupt the performance and other patrons.

Out of respect to our artists and other audience members, re-entry to the auditorium during the performance is not permitted. Please remain in your seat until the intermission or the end of the performance. If you must leave the auditorium during the performance, you can watch the performance on the TV screen in the Richard Bradshaw Auditorium and return to your seat after the intermission.

No! The National Ballet of Canada is the only official seller of National Ballet tickets and we do not authorize the selling of our tickets through third party vendors.

For all National Ballet performances, the only official website for tickets is national.ballet.ca. Customers will never be directed to another website to purchase tickets.

If you purchase at any other vendor, your tickets may be counterfeit. The National Ballet is not responsible for tickets purchased through any other means than our website or box office.

For the safety of our artists and the enjoyment of your fellow audience members, the capture of photographs and video during the performance is not permitted. However, you are welcome to take photographs of the curtain call.