

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...
Our scene is Leeds, Boxing Day 2015, when a catastrophe struck Northern Ballet. A devastating river flood, damaging £2 million pounds worth of sets and costumes.
A true cornerstone in the history of the Company, Northern Ballet’s beloved 1991 production of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Christopher Gable CBEe and choreographed by Massimo Moricone, was one of the productions damaged in the 2015 flood. In Spring 2024 we plan to restage this universal story, but we need your help to reunite our lovers.
Your donation to the Rekindle the Romance appeal will go towards recreating this timeless ballet and supporting us to cover the increasingly high costs to tour our work, so it can be enjoyed by as many people as possible. With your support, Lez Brotherston OBE’s intricate, period costume designs and impressive traditional wooden set pieces will be repaired and updated, meaning this production can be enjoyed by future generations of passionate ballet fans.
Rekindle the romance today.
We have been very kindly gifted a match fund pot of £10,000, which means every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be matched £1 for £1, helping your donation go even further in support of restoring this valued piece of Northern Ballet’s work.
Please note that these are examples of what your donation could provide. We will ensure your gift is used where the need is greatest.
This version of Romeo & Juliet was last performed by the company thirteen years ago in 2010. As we look towards the future with a new artistic vision, we want to celebrate our history and heritage as a world-class storytelling ballet company. What better way to tell our story than by those who have been on the journey with us?
Let us know the first time you saw Northern Ballet dance the award-winning Romeo & Juliet and let us know why it is special to you:
We publically thank those that give more than £250 to a campaign. Please enter the name you would like us to thank.
'I took my daughter to see Northern Ballet's Romeo & Juliet in Cardiff 30 years ago, when she was about 16. She didn’t know the story, and when it got to the bit where Juliet finds Romeo dead, I turned and saw the tears streaming down her face. It was magical.'
Eirwen Godfrey
'I first saw Northern Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet on Wednesday, 20 February 1991 at the Alhambra Theatre Bradford. I was so bowled over by the production I immediately signed up to be a Friend to find out more about the Company… I have been a Friend, then Patron and now Benefactor ever since. To say I am happy about it being resurrected is an absolute understatement.'
Dianne Balmforth