Projected costume design by Lez Brotherston for a Butterfly or Moth in the moth ballet in Act 1 Scene 3 of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, created by Adventures in Motion Pictures, Sadler's Wells, November 9th 1995.

Projected costume design for a Butterfly in the Act I "ballet scene". The design depicts a full length female figure wearing a ballet costume imitating a butterfly. The costume consists of a red, orange and black bodice and overskirt decorated to look like the body and wings of a butterfly, worn over a knee length grey tutu. The figure also wears a pair of long black gloves; a pair of black tights and ballet shoes; a large pair of red, orange, and black butterfly wings; and a butterfly headdress. Unsigned by the artist.

Given by the designer

This costume design by Lez Brotherston is part of an extensive collection of designs donated to the Theatre Museum by the artist in 2002. The design was executed for a production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" performed by Adventures in Motion Pictures at Sadler's Wells, November 9th 1995. This immensely successful and popular production was choreographed & directed by Matthew Bourne, lit by Rick Fisher, and the original cast included Adam Cooper as the Swan, Scott Ambler as the Prince, and Fiona Chadwick as the Queen. The production later extensively toured the country in 1996 and 1999; was presented on two separate occasions in the West End (Piccadilly Theatre, 1996 & Dominion Theatre, 2000); was performed in the USA at the Ahmonson Theater, Los Angeles in April 1997 and at the Neil Simon Theater, New York in October 1998; toured Europe in 2000, and Japan in 2003.

The production was filmed for television with the original cast, and released on video by the BBC in 1996. A copy of the video is available for viewing in the Theatre Museum Library (catalogue number VIDEO 9704023)

The production was presented with numerous awards, including the 1996 Olivier Award, the 1997 Time Out Dance Award, the 1997 South Bank Show Awards, and the 1999 Tony Awards.

Reason For Production: Commission

The 'Moth ballet' mostly danced to the music Tchaikovsky wrote for the Pas de trois in traditional versions of Swan Lake. It is performed as entertainment for the Royal family. As Matthew Bourne said its one of those awful, tacky ballets that probably played the London music halls' in the late nineteenth century.

S.359-2002