When and how did you first have the idea for this ballet?
Kyle Davis: Creating The Raven as a ballet was an idea that came to me almost 15 years ago. I’ve been attached to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven since I first read the poem as a student.
Around 2012, I heard a composition by Alexander Dreyschock on vinyl. As soon as I heard it, I immediately knew it was the music for The Raven.
What about the poem made you think it would translate well into ballet?
KD: The Raven is built on drama, and drama and the stage are very good friends.
In the poem, there are only two actual characters: the man and the raven. But there’s also the memory of Lenore, the man’s lost love. The story is really about grief, longing, and a mind haunted by loss, all of which lend themselves beautifully to movement and theatrical storytelling.
Tell me a little bit about the music.
KD: The music I’m using, Morceau de concert, Op. 27 by Alexander Dreyschock, was composed in 1843, two years before Edgar Allan Poe published The Raven. The score was thought lost for many years before it was eventually located and restored.
If I’m correct, PNB Orchestra may be giving the work its first live performance since Dreyschock himself performed it in the 19th century.
Read more about the remarkable search for the score here!
How many dancers are in this ballet?
KD: I’ve chosen to tell the story with just three characters: the man, the raven, and Lenore.
It’s a very intimate cast. Lenore appears as a ghostly presence who moves in and out of the story. She represents hope, while the raven embodies grief and despair.
What are you most excited about seeing come to life?
KD: Seeing Emma Kingsbury’s designs move from sketches into fully realized costumes is incredibly exciting. The same is true of Jim French’s scenic and lighting designs.
But really, it’s seeing everything come together. Watching the dancers take the choreography and make it their own, while the music, costumes, scenery, and lighting all come together, is the most rewarding part of the process.
What do you hope audiences will take away from The Raven?
KD: Many people already know Poe’s The Raven. I love the idea of inviting audiences into something familiar and then offering them a new interpretation through movement rather than spoken word.
With the live music, costumes, and full theatrical production, I hope audiences feel completely immersed in the world of the ballet. I hope they’re thrilled, and maybe even a little chilled.
GET TICKETS to see The Raven in GHOST STORIES, November 6-15, 2026 at McCaw Hall!
