Zone d'identification
Cote
Titre
Date(s)
- 1978-1979 (Création/Production)
Niveau de description
Étendue matérielle et support
Eight typed letters one with envelope, four handwritten letters, six pages of photocopies, one telegram, 21 handwritten and 16 typed pages of 'treatment'
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
Notice biographique
Born in Queensland, Australia, Deborah Williams was educated in Sydney, won a scholarship to and studied painting and sculpture at the National School of Art. She moved to London in 1970, where she married Kenneth MacMillan. She has designed ballets for the stage and television and returned to painting full-time in 1984. She was a member of the Board of the Royal Opera House (1993-94) and was Chairman of The Friends of Covent Garden (1995-96). Between 1996 and 1998 she was a member of the Arts Council of England and Chair of the dance panel. She has been a member of Kenneth MacMillan and Partner LLP since 2011 and is custodian of her late husband's work.
Histoire archivistique
Source immédiate d'acquisition ou de transfert
Zone du contenu et de la structure
Portée et contenu
Following Kenneth MacMillan's involvement in the Herbert Ross film of Nijinsky, Kenneth MacMillan conceived the idea of a television ballet-drama about Nijinsky's life. He initially discussed the project with London Weekend Television and then with Granada. The material in this file contains correspondence with both organisations and comprises
- Two typed letters from Melvyn Bragg to Kenneth MacMillan on The South-Bank Show, London Weekend Television letter headed paper, discussing the idea of a collaboration on a Nijinsky work and expressing Melvyn Bragg's delight at the possibility of working with Kenneth MacMillan, one with envelope, 24 Oct 1978 and 15 Nov 1978
- One typed letter from Nick Elliott to Kenneth MacMillan on London Weekend Television letter headed paper, attaching a photocopy of a two page memo from Nick Elliott to Michael Grade, attempting to move the project forward, 5 Jan 1979. With notes by Kenneth MacMillan in blue felt tip pen and pencil
- One typed letter from Michael Grade to Kenneth MacMillan on London Weekend Television letter headed paper, congratulating Kenneth MacMillan on the Evening Standard award, and looking forward to 'next year and Nijinsky!' 1 Feb 1979
- One telegram to Kenneth MacMillan from Michael Oliver, Kenneth MacMillan's agent, confirming Granada's interest in opening discussions re the Nijinsky project, 7 Apr 1979
- One carbon copy of a letter from Kenneth MacMillan to Michael Grade, London Weekend Television, attaching two pages of a proposed treatment and a page of descriptions of some visual effects, plus one typed note from Nick Elliott to Kenneth MacMillan on London Weekend Television headed notepaper confirming the return of the treatment and expressing sorrow that plans did not work out, 25 Mar 1979 and 2 Apr 1979
- One typed letter from Sir Denis Forman on Granada Television headed notepaper expressing desire to proceed to the next stage with the projected programme about Nijinsky and Diaghilev, which would be to commission Clive James to produce a treatment for the programme, 26 Apr 1979
- Photocopies of two letters, one to Violette Verdy at the Paris Opera and one to Marcia Haydee at Stuttgart Ballet confirming that there is no definite news of Nijinsky and expressing concern that Patrick Dupond and Birgit Kiel would be left without roles if the project does not go ahead. 26 Jul 1979
- Two handwritten letters from Kenneth MacMillan to Denis Forman, one seeking confirmation of the project going ahead as dancers need to be confirmed, 28 Jul 1979, the second responding to Clive James's first treatment, n.d.
- One handwritten letter from Clive James to Kenneth MacMillan, on The Observer newspaper headed notepaper but as from Cambridge home address re retaining their rights in the Nijinsky project, 10 Aug 1979
- One handwritten draft or copy of a letter by Kenneth MacMillan to Sir Denis Forman thanking him for returning the Nijinsky treatment and expressing disappointment that the industrial action has made things impossible but hoping that they can return to the subject in the future, 23 Sep 1979
- One typed letter from Sir Denis Forman on Granada Television Ltd headed notepaper to Kenneth MacMillan expressing disappointment that the strike made collaboration over Nijinsky impossible but hoping that they can meet with Tanya Bruce-Lockhart to discuss MacMillan's treatment, in case they are able to return to the project. With envelope, 4 Oct 1979
- 21 handwritten and 16 typed pages of the treatment for Nijinsky, some written by Kenneth MacMillan and some by Deborah MacMillan, originals and carbon copies, some large
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Zone des conditions d'accès et d'utilisation
Conditions d'accès
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
The pages of treatment have been kept together and are stored in Box 51
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Zone des notes
Note
Some items might be interesting to digitise
Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)
Mots-clés
Mots-clés - Sujets
Mots-clés - Lieux
Mots-clés - Noms
- MacMillan, Kenneth (Sujet)
- James, Clive (Sujet)
- Bragg, Melvyn (Sujet)
- Nijinsky, Vaslav (Sujet)
- MacMillan, Deborah (Sujet)