Season of Innocence (2015)
Choreography: Nick Kepley
Music: Steve Parker

Ballet Austin II presented the world premiere of Season of Innocence: an inspired retelling of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible Ballet Austin’s AustinVentures StudioTheater. Choreographer Nick Kepley, who serves as ballet master for Ballet Austin’s apprentice company, transformed Miller’s 1953 Tony Award-winning play into a contemporary ballet that bursts to life with searing physicality, as it questions the human capacity to stay silent or speak the truth.

“This play has haunted audiences ever since its original premiere,” Kepley said. “The themes it explores, including the idea of who holds power and who decides what is good and acceptable, are pertinent societal questions we continue to examine.”

To create the piece, Kepley first had to adapt the original manuscript to fit the size and scope of Ballet Austin II. This has meant combining certain characters into one and eliminating certain plot points altogether.

“Season of Innocence is not a literal translation from Miller’s play to a dance work, but the heart of the story is there and was the inspiration for this ballet.”

For the score, Kepley turned to Steve Parker, founder and director of SoundSpace at the Blanton Museum of Art.