SOBRE LA PRODUCCIÓN
Step into a seductive fantasy with MARIE ANTOINETTE: VAMPIRE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, a bold, full-length ballet created and choreographed by Stephen Mills and commissioned by the Butler New Choreography Endowment.
Drawing inspiration from history, Mills’ reimagining of Marie Antoinette’s life as queen unfolds as a visually immersive, decadently dangerous journey where desire is deadly, betrayal is inevitable, and vengeance is power. In this haunting new work, Mills transforms Marie Antoinette into a creature of the night, wielding power through allure, ambition, and an insatiable thirst.
From the artistic team that brought you POE / A Tale of Madness, including newly commissioned score by award-winning composer Graham Reynolds and performed live by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the production pairs sweeping choreography with sumptuous design. Lavish costumes by Margaret Mitchell, wigs and makeup by Wendy Sanders, sets by Michael B. Raiford, and lighting by Erin Earle Fleming create a rich atmospheric world where seduction and vengeance carry otherworldly consequences.
“Marie Antoinette has long been misunderstood and reduced to a caricature,” said Stephen Mills, Artistic Director of Ballet Austin. “In this production, I wanted to reframe her story through a supernatural lens — one that explores agency, desire, and power. This is a fantasy, yes, but it’s also a meditation on what happens when a woman denied control over her own life claims it by any means necessary.”
Commissioned by the Butler New Choreography Endowment
CHOREOGRAPHY: Stephen Mills
MÚSICA: Graham Reynolds
COSTUME DESIGN: Margaret Mitchell
SET DESIGN: Michael B. Raiford
Photography by Anne Marie Bloodgood
All rights reserved | No unauthorized use
Videos directed by Paul Michael Bloodgood & edited by Jazz Collins
All rights reserved | No unauthorized use
DESTACADOS
- Coreografía: Stephen Mills
- Music: Graham Reynolds
- Costume Design: Margaret Mitchell
- Scenic Design: Michael B. Raiford
- Lighting Design: Erin Earle Fleming
- Wig & Makeup Design: Wendy Sanders
- Run-time: 75 minutes in 2 acts
- Dancers: 15 (6 company women, 8 company men, & 1 female student)
- Awards (for cinematic trailer):
- LONE STAR EMMY® NOMINATION (2026)
- TELLY AWARD (GOLD): Online Commercial – Entertainment (2026)
- TELLY AWARD (GOLD): Online Commercial – Not-for-Profit (2026)
- TELLY AWARD (SILVER): Craft – Directing (2026)
- TELLY AWARD (BRONZE): People’s Telly – Audience Award (2026)
- VENICE TV AWARD NOMINATION (2026)
ESTRENOS
THE LONG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS | BALLET AUSTIN
Austin, TX – 2026 (World Premiere)
PRENSA
“Where history led Marie Antoinette to the guillotine, Mills lets her reclaim destiny, trading execution for immortality and living on as a woman who finally chooses her own story.“
THE DAILY TEXAN
“Mills has created what will surely become part of the treasured cannon of American ballet. The costumes, the music, the concept and the dancing. An impasto of brilliance, with the world-premiere right here in Austin!”
SUN NEWS AUSTIN
“Mills has mastered the balance between ballet that’s deeply emotional yet deeply architectural.”
THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE
“The work exemplifies Mills’ approach: historically grounded, socially conscious and unapologetic.”
TRIBEZA