In this surreal ballet, Glen Tetley takes stock characters from the early theatrical tradition of commedia dell’arte and throws them into an austere set by designer Rouben Ter-Arutunian. Against the backdrop of a simple scaffold, everything is pared back to depict a raw, human vulnerability.

Pierrot Lunaire was an early creation of Tetley’s that already displayed his signature choreographic style, one that merged the aesthetics of ballet and modern dance. He created Pierrot Lunaire in 1962 for his own company, dancing the title role.

Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire

The ballet uses Arnold Schoenberg’s score from his atonal Pierrot Lunaire, which he composed in the style of Sprechstimme (spoken song melodrama).