Pair conjure up a magical production

RNZB dancer Laura Jones as Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream on in Rotorua on Thursday. Photo / Supplied

Tracy Grant Lord has probably one of the best jobs in the world.

She is one of Australasia's leading stage and costume designers, and she's inclined to agree, "especially when you get to work on productions as special as A Midsummer Night's Dream", she said.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) scored a coup when it teamed up one of the world's leading choreographers, Liam Scarlett, with Lord to shape its latest production.

Scarlett has been described by the British press as "dance's hottest property" and Lord says the young choreographer is all that, and more. "He is really, really special, knows exactly what he is doing and has given myself and the dancers great direction," she said.

Between them, the pair have conjured up a production that is classic, ethereal and sparkles with thousands of lights creating a magical forest where fairies dwell in the moonlight.

Lord's choice to have a black backdrop creates a set that is both classical and sculptural, creating an endless, timeless quality to the production. "I used black to create the sense that the set was never-ending and went beyond the confines of the stage. I also wanted to created a lightness to the fairy world that was lit by moonlight," she said.

The largest set ever created by the RNZB, with 4000 LED lights and more than 2000m of fibreoptic cable, will transform the stage into a glittering fairy world transporting audiences into one of Shakespeare's greatest love stories.

-A Midsummer Night's Dream is at the Civic Theatre from 7.30pm on Thursday. For tickets call 0800 111 999.