The Blake Works
Casting
Saturday, February 28, 2026 AT 2:00 pm
CHOREOGRAPHY AND COSTUME DESIGN
William Forsythe
COMPOSER
James Blake
Prologue (SF Ballet Premiere)
Lighting Design: Tanja Ruehl
Staged by: Jodie Gates and Noah Gelber
World Premiere: May 10, 2023—Ballet Company Teatro alla Scala; Teatro alla Scala; Milan, Italy
SF Ballet Premiere: February 27, 2026—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
The Barre Project (SF Ballet Premiere)
Scenic Design: William Forsythe
Lighting Design: Tanja Ruehl, based on the original design by Brandon Stirling Baker
Staged by: Jodie Gates and Noah Gelber
Originating from The Barre Project (Blake Works II), created and filmed in 2020 for its broadcast on March 25, 2021 on the CLI Studio Digital Platform www.clistudio.com
SF Ballet Premiere: February 27, 2026—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
Blake Works I
Costume Design: Dorothee Merg and William Forsythe
Lighting Design: Tanja Ruehl
Staged by: Jodie Gates, Felipe Diaz, and Katita Waldo
Original staging (2022): Ayman Harper
World Premiere: July 4, 2016—Paris Opera Ballet, Palais Garnier; Paris, France
SF Ballet Premiere: February 3, 2022—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
Sound Supervisor for The Blake Works: Niels Lanz. Music: Prologue — “Lindisfarne I” from James Blake (2011); The Barre Project — “Buzzard & Kestrel” from The Bells Sketch (2010), “Lullaby for My Insomniac” from Assume Form (2019), and “200 Press” from 200 Press (2014). Blake Works I — Songs from The Colour in Anything (2016): “I Need a Forest Fire,” “Put That Away and Talk to Me,” “The Colour in Anything,” “I Hope My Life (1-800 Mix),” “Waves Know Shores,” “Two Men Down,” and “f.o.r.e.v.e.r.” Costumes constructed by San Francisco Ballet Costume Shop. Scenic Curtain Design by William Forsythe, after Carlus Dyer, realized by David Dunn and Scott Whitten. Smiley, names, characters and all related indicia are owned by The Smiley Company ©1971-2026. All rights reserved. www.smiley.com
The Blake Works
Casting & Credits
Saturday, February 28 AT 2:00 pm
CHOREOGRAPHY AND COSTUME DESIGN
William Forsythe
COMPOSER
James Blake
Prologue (SF Ballet Premiere)
Lighting Design: Tanja Ruehl
Staged by: Jodie Gates and Noah Gelber
World Premiere: May 10, 2023—Ballet Company Teatro alla Scala; Teatro alla Scala; Milan, Italy
SF Ballet Premiere: February 27, 2026—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
The Barre Project (SF Ballet Premiere)
Scenic Design: William Forsythe
Lighting Design: Tanja Ruehl, based on the original design by Brandon Stirling Baker
Staged by: Jodie Gates and Noah Gelber
Originating from The Barre Project (Blake Works II), created and filmed in 2020 for its broadcast on March 25, 2021 on the CLI Studio Digital Platform www.clistudio.com
SF Ballet Premiere: February 27, 2026—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
Blake Works I
Costume Design: Dorothee Merg and William Forsythe
Lighting Design: Tanja Ruehl
Staged by: Jodie Gates, Felipe Diaz, and Katita Waldo
Original staging (2022): Ayman Harper
World Premiere: July 4, 2016—Paris Opera Ballet, Palais Garnier; Paris, France
SF Ballet Premiere: February 3, 2022—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
Sound Supervisor for The Blake Works: Niels Lanz. Music: Prologue — “Lindisfarne I” from James Blake (2011); The Barre Project — “Buzzard & Kestrel” from The Bells Sketch (2010), “Lullaby for My Insomniac” from Assume Form (2019), and “200 Press” from 200 Press (2014). Blake Works I — Songs from The Colour in Anything (2016): “I Need a Forest Fire,” “Put That Away and Talk to Me,” “The Colour in Anything,” “I Hope My Life (1-800 Mix),” “Waves Know Shores,” “Two Men Down,” and “f.o.r.e.v.e.r.” Costumes constructed by San Francisco Ballet Costume Shop. Scenic Curtain Design by William Forsythe, after Carlus Dyer, realized by David Dunn and Scott Whitten. Smiley, names, characters and all related indicia are owned by The Smiley Company ©1971-2026. All rights reserved. www.smiley.com
PROLOGUE
Luca Ferrò Dylan Pierzina
Parker Garrison Katherine Barkman Wei Wang
Madeline Woo Fernando Carratalá Coloma
THE BARRE PROJECT
BUZZARD & KESTREL
Nikisha Fogo, Lucas López, Katherine Barkman, Wei Wang, Joshua Jack Price
LULABY FOR MY INSOMNIAC
Sasha De Sola
200 PRESS
Katherine Barkman, Fernando Carratalá Coloma, Sasha De Sola, Luca Ferrò, Nikisha Fogo, Parker Garrison, Lucas López, Dylan Pierzina, Joshua Jack Price, Wei Wang, Madeline Woo
BLAKE WORKS I
I NEED A FORREST FIRE
Frances Chung, Wona Park, Elizabeth Powell
Gabriela Gonzalez, Lleyton Ho, Harrison James, Lucas López, Carmela Mayo, Rimi Nakano, Pemberley Ann Olson, Simone Pompignoli, Victor Prigent, Leili Rackow, Anatalia St. Clair, Joseph Walsh, Juliana Wilder
PUT THAT AWAY AND TALK TO ME
Elizabeth Powell, Luca Ferrò, Julia Rowe
THE COLOUR IN ANYTHING
Frances Chung, Fernando Carratalá Coloma
I HOPE MY LIFE
Frances Chung, Wona Park, Joseph Walsh, Harrison James
Ensemble
WAVES KNOW SHORES
Elizabeth Powell, Victor Prigent, Simone Pompignoli
Ensemble
TWO MEN DOWN
Victor Prigent, Rubén Cítores Nieto, Luca Ferrò, Simone Pompignoli, Lleyton Ho, Lucas López, Joseph Walsh
F.O.R.E.V.E.R
Wona Park, Harrison James
*CASTING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE