A Wilde Ride
Christopher Wheeldon with artists of The Australian Ballet, Oscar© (Wheeldon) 2024
Photo Kate Longley
From conception to completion, Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar© and the story behind the storyteller.
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Written by
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Published on
21 Nov 2024
David Hallberg and Christopher Wheeldon began discussing the possibility of Wheeldon creating a work on The Australian Ballet dancers several years ago and fascinated by the life and fairy tales of Oscar Wilde, the seed of this idea would become the critically acclaimed production of Oscar©.
Wheeldon and frequent collaborator, composer Joby Talbot began the huge task of researching Oscar Wilde. Struggling to find time in their always-busy schedules, Wheeldon essentially crashed Talbot’s family holiday in Italy where the pair worked out the basic structure of Oscar©.
At the end of 2023 Christopher Wheeldon began rehearsals for Oscar© in Sydney with The Australian Ballet’s dancers. Not one to meticulously pre-prepare choreography, Wheeldon’s fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-style led to an inclusive, collaborative environment.
“I create a structure but no steps, just plot points, emotional anchors within each scene, and then I just dive in with the dancers.” — Christopher Wheeldon
Christopher Wheeldon with Principal Artist Sharni Spencer, Oscar© (Wheeldon) 2024
Photo Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
Benjamin Garrett and Principal Artist Callum Linnane, Oscar© (Wheeldon) 2024
Photo Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
"This – I say this about all the ballets – is the most ambitious one. With every project we’re going further, trying new ways to get across narrative. Every one we do we try to push the envelope on how we can use dance, music and theatre to tell a story." - Joby Talbot
Returning to The Australian Ballet in 2024, Oscar© began to take shape, with Wheeldon weaving in Wilde’s fantasy elements with real life characters and moments.
Jean Marc Puissant joined the company, designing and creating glorious costumes with The Australian Ballet costume department and incorporating the writers’ famous words by printed passages of text onto the fabrics.
Joby Talbot’s magical score began hummed through the building and the excitement to present Oscar to audiences was palpable.
“Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar©, with its richly theatrical score by Joby Talbot, is a daring but fantastically rewarding experiment in ballet storytelling. It’s engrossing, discomforting, energising, uplifting and sometimes grating, but also determinedly different.” – The Age
Armed with boxes of costumes, sets and of course pointe shoes, the production team bumped into our home away from home, the Regent Theatre for a grand opening night.
If there were any concerns about the success of Oscar©, they were eliminated by the standing ovation from the opening night audience. Officially open, Oscar© received praise across the board, from new ballet audiences to long-standing subscribers and the media.
Oscar© is a trailblazing masterpiece plump with thought provoking meaning, stirring emotion, unashamed hedonism and breathtaking wonderment” – Australian Arts Review
In November, the company headed to Sydney to delight further audiences with the boundary pushing, challenging-yet-traditionally structured ballet.
Oscar© closed on Saturday 23 November 2024 after several years of research, writing and development and marked a significant moment in The Australian Ballet’s history. Looking forward, the company is dedicated to creating work that reflects the diverse community of people who dance ballet, watch ballet and love ballet.
"Madden gives the performance of a lifetime as Wilde, holding nothing back – to the point where, as he took his final bows, he broke down in tears." - Sunday Morning Herald
“I believe we should be telling more honest stories in ballet, and I don’t want to be timid about telling this one.” — David Hallberg
You can access the livestream of Oscar© until 3 December 2024.