World Premiere Dr. Coppélius

Dr. Coppélius’ workshop is a vibrant world of mechanical marvels that stands in contrast to the ordinary village beyond. The quirky inventor is equally colourful and becomes the target of fear and ridicule amongst the villagers, especially the young lovers Franz and Swanilda. But Dr. Coppélius has a plan to challenge their assumptions, drawing them into his world with two mechanical dolls who spark surprising revelations. In the end, the villagers learn that being different is something to celebrate. 

• For her first full-length classical commission, Artistic Director Hope Muir intentionally selected a story ballet to welcome families and audiences new to the art form into the world of dance.
   
• The National Ballet performed Act II of Arthur Saint-Léon’s Coppélia in its very first year, 1951, followed by the full production in 1952.
   
• Like The Nutcracker, Coppélia is based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, in this case, The Sandman.
   
• A team of talented Canadian women, Dramaturge Eda Holmes, Set and Costume Designer Camellia Koo and Lighting Designer Bonnie Beecher, collaborate with Caniparoli to shape the vision for this exciting premiere. Together, they are crafting a vivid world of mechanical marvels inspired by 19th-century automata and the Bauhaus aesthetic.
  
  
• A specialist in narrative ballet, Caniparoli has created many full-length ballets including five different productions of The Nutcracker!

Val Caniparoli worked with San Francisco Ballet for over 50 years as a dancer, Resident Choreographer and Rehearsal Assistant, creating more than 100 works for ballet, opera, theatre, film and television worldwide. Caniparoli’s formative experience with Lew Christensen, who staged San Francisco Ballet’s first full-length Coppélia, gives him a close connection to this ballet.

French composer Léo Delibes transformed ballet music with his full-length symphonic scores for Coppélia and Sylvia, elevating it from mere accompaniment to an art form in its own right – a shift that influenced Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In Dr. Coppélius, Val Caniparoli augments along with his longtime music coordinator and advisor Ramona Pansegrau, the original score to Coppélia with additional music by Delibes and contemporary Ernest Guiraud.

Choreography:
Val Caniparoli

Composer:
Léo Delibes and Ernest Guiraud

Librettist and Dramaturge:
Eda Holmes 

Set and Costume Design:
Camellia Koo

Lighting Designer:
Bonnie Beecher

Music Coordinator and Advisor:
Ramona Pansegrau

Assistant to the Choreographer:
Maiqui Mañosa

World Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, March 13, 2027 

Produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada. 

Dr. Coppélius is supported by The Anna McCowan-Johnson New Creations Fund.

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 $66. 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.

• If you have provided us with your email address, you will receive a performance reminder two days before your performance date. This will include important information about the performance, as well as traffic alerts if there are road or TTC closures.
• You will also receive Hope’s Insights, an email from Artistic Director Hope Muir providing an in-depth look at the ballet or programme you are attending.
• If you haven’t already, sign up now for Ballet News to be the first to receive all the latest news and videos, including special offers, casting and dancer news!

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.

Call Centre
Monday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Tuesday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

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.