Press Contact: Megan Stone
November 2025
As Sir Matthew Bourne’s acclaimed production of The Red Shoes opens its tour at Theatre Royal Plymouth this month (NOV), audiences won’t be the only ones stepping into its world of dance, music and passion. Alongside the performances, New Adventures is delivering a series of technical theatre placements and community dance projects designed to inspire creativity both on and off the stage.
From 17 November 2025, three backstage placements in Stage/Automation, Lighting, and Wardrobe will take place at Theatre Royal Plymouth. These short-term, paid opportunities provide local participants with hands-on experience working alongside New Adventures’ touring crew during a live production week. The initiative continues the company’s commitment to developing emerging technical theatre talent across the UK, in collaboration with regional venues and partners.
Building on the success of previous placement activity, the programme has already demonstrated clear progression routes into the industry. Notably, one of last year’s Swan Lake placement participants in Plymouth went on to be employed as Assistant Stage Manager on The Midnight Bell, reflecting the valuable professional pathways these opportunities can create.
Community Dance and Participation
Alongside the backstage placements, New Adventures’ community engagement work continues in Plymouth with two projects inspired by The Red Shoes and the company’s ongoing Swan Lake Take Flight legacy.
In Our Shoes is a 2-3 hour movement workshop for young people aged 14-18, exploring the story, music and themes of The Red Shoes through creative movement. Led by the Regional Dance Ambassador and New Adventures Dance Artists, the sessions use games, repertoire and collaborative tasks to encourage expression, connection and wellbeing.
Swan Lake Take Flight Legacy activity also continues locally, led by Regional Dance Ambassador Sapphire Sumpter and Dance Artist Steph Jenner, who deliver weekly dance classes for 8-18-year-olds at TRP’s Production and Learning Centre, TR2. These sessions focus on technique, storytelling and creativity, building on relationships formed through previous community projects.
8–12 Dance Workshops and 13–18 Dance Workshops
We take pride in nurturing new and emerging dancers so you don’t need to have any dance background to join this course, just a love of movement and a willingness to try something new.
The Red Shoes is a timeless fairytale and Academy Award-winning movie that has captivated audiences and inspired generations of dancers with its powerful tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page lives to dance but her ambitions become a fierce struggle between the two men who inspire her passion.
Matthew Bourne’s magical double Olivier Award-winning production of the legendary Powell and Pressburger film is set to a score orchestrated by Terry Davies, featuring the mesmerizing music of golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, with sumptuous designs by Lez Brotherston (set and costumes), Paule Constable (lighting) and Paul Groothuis (sound).
An intoxicating drama where life imitates art with fateful consequences, The Red Shoes will dazzle your senses and break your heart.
The Red Shoes plays at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 17 – 22 November, opening its 2025 UK tour. For more details and to book tickets, visit: https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/red-shoes/