Following a year in which festive classic The Nutcracker had its most successful season ever, and the goundbreaking Black Sabbeth: The Ballet sold 27,000 tickets, Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) have a lot to live up to in the year ahead. As they work towards delivering director Carlos Acosta's vision to build new audiences, celebrate Birmingham, and take BRB everywhere - the new season has plenty to offer. 

The autumn season opens with 'the sunniest, funniest of ballets', La Fille mal gardée, which mixes classical ballet with comedy and features a clog-dancing dame. The production shows in Birmingham from Wed 25 - Sat 28 September and features as part of the Ashton Worldwide Festival, celebrating its original creator, Sir Frederick Ashton. 

From Thurs 3 - Sat 5 October, the world premier of Luna will be staged: a two-act, full length new, abstract ballet, which is inspired by the pioneering women of Birmingham. The piece forms the third and final part of Carlos Acosta's Birmingham Trilogy, and is inspired by the book, Once Upon a Time in Birmingham: Women Who Dare to Dream, by Louise Palfreyman.

The ballet features an all-female, international creative team, who will explore contemporary universal themes including matriarchal roles in society, education, female empowerment, overcoming adversity, and community.

The season is rounded off by two classic ballets. Beginning on Fri 22 November, Sir Peter Wright's The Nutcracker sees its first ever relaxed performance at Birmingham Hippodrome at 1pm on Tues 3 December. This will bring the story to life for those normally unable to attend theatre productions of this scale. Sir David Bintley's Cinderella will take to the stage in February 2025  with 'a sure-fire mix of wonderful dance, spectacular scenery, and a cast of characters that include mice, lizards and even a dancing frog'.

Spring 2025 also sees the third BRB2 UK tour featuring an all-new (yet to be announced) programme. BRB2 - a company of some of the very best young ballet graduates from around the world, has attracted a wealth of international talent to the company. These future stars have already made their mark, touring the country with Carlos Acosta's Classical Selection.

BRB's story doesn't end in Birmingham. Fresh from the sell-out success in Birmingham, Plymouth and London, Black Sabbath - The Ballet has had a raft of international interest. The European premiere will be at the Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam, presented as part of Holland Dance Festival (13 - 15 June), and there are already talks about touring Black Sabbath - The Ballet to the USA in 2025.

Fans in the midlands can rest assured that the region has not been forgotten though, as it has been hinted that the knock-out production might return to home turf, in the 2025 autumn season.

For further information on all upcoming Birmingham Royal Ballet productions, and to book tickets, visit: brb.org.uk