Maria
Novotna

A parody of ambition, greed, enslavement, sacrifice and the long fight for independence. A love story set against the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian child prodigy Yevgeny Dmitrov stands on the threshold of an international career as a pianist. Offered a contract by a leading impresario, he moves to London accompanied by fellow student Maria Novotna. His promising career declines, however, when he is exposed as a heroin addict, and the pair find themselves homeless on the streets of London.

Destitute, their life slides into chaos and they become victims of human trafficking run by a Russian crime gang, who kidnap Yevgeny and blackmail Maria into becoming a prostitute. In desperation, Maria seeks help from a man she hardly knows… but rescue comes at a price!

Set against the growing threat and invasion of Ukraine, Maria Novotna is a parody of corruption, blackmail, enslavement, resistance and the enduring power of Love.

Maria Novotna
The Ballet

Based on the novel, the ballet weaves the music of Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Bach with the rhythms of South America and the 20th-century masters Prokofiev and Britten — recreating the competition, abduction, enslavement and drug withdrawal against the nightmare of the Russian invasion.

A scene-by-scene breakdown, with additional notes on the music, is available on request.