Texas Ballet Theater Debuts Trey McIntyre’s Reimagined Peter Pan

Texas Ballet Theater Debuts Trey McIntyre’s Reimagined Peter Pan
Peter Pan is the first performance of TBT’s 2025-2026 season and will take place in Dallas September 19-21 and in Fort Worth October 3-5

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas Ballet Theater (TBT) will open its 2025-2026 season with the Texas premiere of Peter Pan, a new two-act ballet choreographed by internationally acclaimed choreographer Trey McIntyre, who has created works for Queensland Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and The Washington Ballet. Peter Pan will take center stage at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas Sept. 19-21 and at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth Oct. 3-5.

This new adaptation of Peter Pan is co-produced by TBT in partnership with Nevada Ballet Theatre in Las Vegas and BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. Featuring all-new sets and costumes by award-winning designer Emma Bailey, best known for her work on Six: The Musical, the production will bring J.M. Barrie’s beloved story of Neverland to life in a fresh, visually stunning way.

“Peter Pan’s story is essentially the artist’s journey and the real life right-of-passage in the ways in which we transition from child to adult,”said McIntyre. “The elements of Peter Pan that are important are the things that are delightful to me in any work—the feelings of awe, surprise, and joy. I want adults to understand and see themselves in the spirit of this work—that seed of childhood that is in every person. I think this is what art does for us always, reminding ourselves that we are so much bigger than the day-to-day mundanity of life. I want kids to just be kids and do what kids do.”

McIntyre’s original three-act version of Peter Pan premiered at Houston Ballet in 2002, where TBT’s own Artistic Director Tim O’Keefe danced the role of Captain Hook. This reimagined two-act production blends McIntyre’s signature storytelling and inventive movement with a completely new visual world created by Bailey.

When asked about her inspiration for the set and costume designs, Bailey said, “Beautiful Victorian and Edwardian illustrations formed the basis of a lot of my research for the first act of Peter Pan. I love the use of line and color but also the period-specific nod. Transporting the audience from the illustrative world of London to Neverland meant a visual journey from 2D to the hyperreal fantasy. I was particularly drawn to heightened colors and exaggerated forms for the second act and to play with childlike imagination.”

Peter Pan promises to captivate audiences of all ages. The production marks TBT’s continued commitment to presenting new works that blend innovation with storytelling, inviting audiences to experience the magic of live performance in unforgettable ways.