Zone d'identification
Cote
Titre
Date(s)
- 1966-1968, n.d. (Création/Production)
Niveau de description
Étendue matérielle et support
Six typed letters, seven handwritten letters, 13 envelopes, one postcards, one notebook, six pages of photocopies
Zone du contexte
Nom du producteur
Notice biographique
Kenneth MacMillan was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and began ballet classes in Retford, England, in 1940. He joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet School in 1944 and later the Sadler's Wells Ballet but gave up dancing for choreography partly due to crippling stage fright. His first choreographic work was Somnambulism, created for the Sadler's Wells Ballet Choreographic Group in 1953 and he created works for both Royal Ballet companies throughout his career. He created significant works for The Stuttgart Ballet and his works are danced by ballet companies world-wide. He has also created work for television and cinema.
Kenneth MacMillan was Director of the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin from 1966 to 1969, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet from 1970 to 1977 and its Principal Chroreographer from 1977 until his death. He was also Associate Director of American Ballet Theatre from 1984 to 1989, and Artistic Associate of the Houston Ballet from 1989 to 1992.
Kenneth MacMillan was knighted in 1983, and he received honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh (1976) and the Royal College of Art (1992). His awards include the Evening Standard Ballet Award (1979); Society of West End Theatre Ballet Award, 1980 and 1983; and, posthumously, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 1993 for The Judas Tree; the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 1993; and the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 1994 for Carousel
Nom du producteur
Histoire archivistique
Source immédiate d'acquisition ou de transfert
Zone du contenu et de la structure
Portée et contenu
These letters and the notebook were sent from Clement Crisp to Kenneth MacMillan during the latter's time as Ballet Director at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. They were intended for private consumption so are humorous and contain language and opinions that could be considered upsetting and offensive. Within that context there are comments about Kenneth MacMillan's new production of The Sleeping Beauty, ballets Clement Crisp has seen in London including The Royal Ballet's new productions of Coppelia and Enigma Variations and Festival Ballet's new production of The Sleeping Beauty. He discusses Vergie Derman's wedding, the disposal of ballet sets at the Royal Opera House, dancers Noella Pontois, John Gilpin, Lynn Seymour and Georgina Parkinson and the Kirov Ballet.
There are photocopies of two letters from Kenneth MacMillan to Clement Crisp from 1967 with an accompanying letter from Clement Crisp to Jann Parry. The letters discuss The Sleeping Beauty, Vergie Derman, Lynn Seymour, Georgina Parkinson and works seen in Stuttgart
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The majority of letters give the day and date but not the year. Some have been arranged by year where that has been taken from the postmark on the accompanying envelope. Further dating could be established by the content of the letters
Zone des conditions d'accès et d'utilisation
Conditions d'accès
Some of the language could be considered offensive. Access is at the discretion of the Archives and Records Manager
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Caractéristiques matérielle et contraintes techniques
Finding aids
Zone des sources complémentaires
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Zone des notes
Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)
Mots-clés
Mots-clés - Sujets
Mots-clés - Lieux
Mots-clés - Noms
- MacMillan, Kenneth (Sujet)
- Crisp, Clement (Sujet)
- Deutsche Oper Berlin (Sujet)