About Us
Overview
New Adventures is an iconic and ground-breaking British dance-theatre company, famous for telling stories with a unique theatrical twist.
Our Story
We create world class productions and engaging projects, reaching thousands worldwide every year.
Since 1986, Matthew Bourne and New Adventures have delighted, inspired and nurtured people of all ages and backgrounds: audiences, artists and the next generation. Under Matthew Bourne’s inspired leadership, knighted in the 2016 New Years’ Honours List for services to Dance, the Company has won the Manchester Evening News Dance Award four times and been given a Special Theatre Managers Association (TMA) award for its commitment to national touring and audience development.
In 2015 Matthew Bourne received a special UK Theatre Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre and in in the same year, New Adventures also won the Stef Stefanou Outstanding Company Award at the National Dance Awards.
New Adventures has received numerous international awards and 12 Olivier Award nominations, including six wins.
Since 1986 Matthew Bourne has created 13 full-length productions and a triple bill of short works.
[MATTHEW BOURNE] HAS FILLED THE THEATRE WITH WARMTH AND LOVE, QUALITIES OFTEN LACKING ON THE CHILLIER SHORES OF CONTEMPORARY WORK
Sarah Crompton for The Sunday Times
This award-winning repertoire has inspired and thrilled millions worldwide. Perhaps best-known for its now legendary Swan Lake with its corps de ballet of menacing male swans, New Adventures’ intriguing twists on the ballet classics also include Nutcracker!, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Car Man based on the opera Carmen and Highland Fling based on La Sylphide set in contemporary Glasgow. Bourne has also been inspired by film and literature in his innovative productions of Edward Scissorhands, Dorian Gray, Play Without Words, The Midnight Belland Lord of the Flies, which united professional dancers and young men with no previous dance experience. Early Adventures re-visited some of Bourne’s early works for Adventures in Motion Pictures and toured to mid-scale theatres across the UK as part of the Company’s 25th and 30th Anniversary celebrations.
IN AN ERA WHEN DANCE COMPANIES ARE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT FOR FUNDING AND JUSTIFY THEIR EXISTENCE, NEW ADVENTURES CAN MAKE AN OUTSTANDING CASE FOR ITSELF.
The Times
New Adventures tours to more UK and international venues and gives more performances each year than any other UK dance company. The Company is British dance’s biggest export, performing seasons at the world’s most iconic venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, New York City Center, The Kennedy Center and the most prestigious Festivals such as Edinburgh, Ravenna and Chekhov International Festivals. It regularly tours to Asia and the USA.
A pioneer in taking dance to wider audiences through the medium of film, most of New Adventures’ productions have been filmed for television broadcast or cinema screenings. The recording of Swan Lake by Sky Arts 3D became the first ballet to be shot in 3D for cinema and DVD release.
BRITAIN’S MOST POPULAR AND MOST UNCLASSIFIABLE DANCE COMPANY.
San Francisco Chronicle
New Adventures supports the artistic and professional development of artists at all stages of their careers. Investing in the future of dance and theatre, every year New Adventures engages in inclusive projects with thousands of people of all ages and ability, as well as emerging artists across the UK. Projects have also been delivered in China, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and across the USA.
In 2014, the national tour of Lord of the Flies visited 13 cities, engaging over 8,000 young people in dance activity, many for the first time, delivering 80 performances and reaching some 75,000 people as audiences. Following the success of the show in the UK the production had its first international season at Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia in 2017.
We are committed to finding and developing diverse young talent from across the UK. Since our production of Lord of the Flies we have been continually supporting them on their journey into training and professional work. The company have delivered various initiatives, including Swan School, two week-long intensives designed to prepare graduate level dancers for the audition process. The 2018/19 revival of Swan Lake was the first New Adventures production to feature dancers from the young cast of Lord of the Flies. New Adventures continues to work with universities and conservatoires to support the next generation of artists as well as, Overture, an exceptional professional development opportunity for dance practitioners working in communities across England.
As part of our projects and workshop offering, in 2022-23 we led 185 Take Part activity sessions with 7,301 attendances. We aim to bring thrilling and ambitious opportunities to children, young people and communities.
The work of New Adventures would not be possible without the generous support of our principal funder Arts Council England and supporters from the UK regions we visit and around the world.
Matthew Bourne
Meet our Artistic Director Sir Matthew Bourne OBE.
Sir Matthew Bourne OBE is widely hailed as the UK’s most popular and successful choreographer and director.
Since 1986, he has been creating and directing dance for musicals, theatre, film as well as his own highly successful, award-winning companies.
Matthew is the creator of the world’s longest running ballet production, and has been recognised by numerous international awards. He was knighted in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2016 for services to dance, and awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award – one of the most coveted honours in the world of dance – in recognition of his outstanding services to the art of ballet.
DANCE-THEATRE MARVEL, MATTHEW BOURNE… ONE OF DANCE’S TRUE ORIGINALS
The Telegraph
IT'S A BLISTERING, GROWN-UP PIECE OF NON-VERBAL STORYTELLING...CREATED BY THE PEERLESS MASTER OF POPULAR DANCE THEATRE.
The Daily Express
Interview with Matthew Bourne (Dec 2023)
By Kate Wyver, The Stage
Company Values
Our core values are at the heart of everything we do.
Audience
Our audiences are why we do what we do. Entertaining and engaging audiences is our passion. We proudly tour extensively to venues across England, Scotland and Wales every year, as well as globally with our live, online and broadcast productions. We strive to be widely accessible and welcoming to both our loyal and new audiences.
Adventure
Since the beginning we have been bold, maverick and adventurous. 30 years on we continue to push boundaries and defy expectations in dance, storytelling and ambition. We are committed to reaching as many people and places as possible through our productions and projects.
Family
We have a shared commitment to supporting, developing and investing in all members of the New Adventures company and everyone involved with our work in whatever capacity – performers, creatives, crew, staff, practitioners, audiences, participants, trustees, students, interns, volunteers and partners. We all matter.
Our Team
Meet the team of people from across different departments and roles, who enable us to bring our work to audiences across the globe.
Associate Artists
Senior Leadership Team
Robert
Noble OBE
Group Managing Director
Jennie
Green
Executive DirectorSenior Management Team
Press and Marketing
Press - Simon Raw for RawPR
Marketing & Media - Elaine McGowan for EMG
Ambassadors
Patricia Ward
Kelly
Ambassador
Will
Kemp
Ambassador
Myleene
Klass
Ambassador
Zizi
Strallen
Ambassador
Layton
Williams
AmbassadorGreen Adventures
Setting the stage for sustainable touring.
The Green Adventures Working Group, along with Environmental Sustainability Manager Andrew Ashton, ensures New Adventures is responsible for its environmental impact.
All organisations must work to lessen their environmental impact, take responsibility for their actions, and increase sustainability for future generations. In 2018 we joined an ever-growing group of community and cultural leaders committed to taking bold, strategic action against the climate crisis.
As a large-scale touring company reaching audiences all over the UK and beyond, we have an opportunity to inspire and inform on environmental sustainability. Reducing environmental impact will require a collaborative effort, including funders, administrative teams, receiving venues, designers, creatives, logistics coordinators, service providers, and more.
This will take time, but we are proud to stand as industry leaders in this field, setting the stage for sustainable touring.
“New Adventures is proud to have piloted the first Creative Green certification for the touring sector and I am delighted that our efforts and achievements have been recognised with a four-star rating. There is still so much more we can do, as a company and within our industry, to address the climate emergency and we will continue to explore ways to be greener in all areas of our company.”
Matthew Bourne, Artistic Director, New Adventures
Green Adventures Working Group
Andrew
Ashton
Environmental Sustainability Manager / Green Adventures Representative / Dancer
Kaasam
Aziz
Head of Content
Eman
Bhatti
Inclusion, Access and Data Manager
Isaac
Peter Bowry
Dancer
Gavin
Eden
Dance Artist
James
Miller
Assistant General Manager
Louise
Miller
Operations Manager
Huw
Morris
Trustee
Aysha
Powell
Chief Operating Officer
Kat
Themans
Development Officer
Alex
Towers
Schools and Young People ProducerEnvironmental Manager and Green Champion, Andrew Ashton, reveals 3 ways New Adventures is creating solutions for a sustainable future in theatre in this short film.
Click here to read Julie's Bicycle's case study on our environmental journey with green touring.
Access
We believe that art should be accessible to all.
Below are a few simple ways to help support you to view our website in many different ways to suit your needs, as well as how we aim to produce and deliver accessible performances and workshops.
Accessing the website
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. We are currently assessing the accessibility of the site and will provide full details once the audit is complete.
If you find any problems or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: lucy@new-adventures.net.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
- email: lucy@new-adventures.net
- call Lucy: 01252 597 050
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 7 days.
There are some changes you can make to your computer to make any website, including ours, easier to see and use on your computer, mobile phone, or tablet.
We have collated some resources to help you do this, click here for more information.
Accessing performances
New Adventures is dedicated to producing and delivering performances and workshops that are accessible to all patrons and participants.
Alongside our general performances we aim to schedule touch tours and audio described performances as well as relaxed performances. Find out more about our access performances here.
If we are coming to a venue near you, you can also directly enquire with the venue box office about scheduled access performances.
Accessing classes and workshops
We aim to provide a wide-variety of high-quality and inclusive workshop experiences that cater for those of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Please contact office@new-adventures.net if you would like to find out more.
If you have any questions or concerns around accessibility, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Email us on office@new-adventures.net and we will get back to your enquiry.
Opportunities
Find out about recruitment for jobs, upcoming auditions and opportunities.
Thank you for taking an interest in New Adventures. You're in the right place if you're a dancer looking for opportunities or an arts professional seeking out your next career move. We don't currently have any opportunities listed, however this page is updated regularly so check back or join our mailing list to hear when we do.