Houston Thomas Reimagines Firebird as a Corporate Drama

Houston Thomas is setting Stravinsky's Firebird in a corporate American office. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet premieres his reimagining October 8–11 as part of its Stravinsky Stories program, running alongside Alexei Ratmansky's The Fairy's Kiss.

At 50 minutes, the work is Thomas' longest to date and his first narrative ballet. The former Dresden Semperoper Ballett soloist, who turned to full-time choreography in 2023, frames his ambition bluntly. "I'm competing with Netflix," he says. "That's what's capturing eyes and keeping them."

Thomas admits he is "not a huge fan" of re-creating classic productions and prefers original storylines. But when RWB artistic director Christopher Stowell invited him to create a new Firebird, the idea took hold. "I started thinking about my experience moving back to New York City [after leaving Dresden]," he says. "Jumping into a new career and trying to find my way, I've just been going, going, going."

That return prompted harder questions about work–life balance and capitalism's role in the arts. "I thought, Am I disguising my passion for work and vice versa?" he says. He built the new Firebird around those concerns, with a visual lens he describes as à la "Mad Men."

In Thomas' telling, Ivan is a junior executive in an office owned by Kastchei—no longer an evil sorcerer but a power-hungry CEO. One night, working late, Ivan sees the Firebird, a rare species Kastchei keeps as an exotic pet. Unhappy in captivity, she wreaks havoc around the office. When she and Ivan meet, they connect, and she gives him one of her feathers as a sign of trust. Ivan has also fallen in love with Kat, a secretary. Kastchei discovers them together and, enraged, sends Kat away and Ivan back to work—prompting Ivan to rise up against his boss and call on the Firebird for help.

Thomas gave the Firebird psychological depth rather than pure mystique. "She's not just this mystical, powerful bird," he says. "She's been in captivity; that does something to the psyche. She is very courageous, but she's not necessarily confident in her strength. She doesn't know what she's fully capable of." He sees parallels between her and the average American worker under today's capitalist culture.

The movement vocabulary is classically based, intertwined with influences from David Dawson, William Forsythe, George Balanchine, and Gerald Arpino. "I am a person in the creative process who's not afraid to tell the dancers where the movement comes from," Thomas says. "Of course, I add my own perfume to it."

His biggest challenge has been packing a complete, well-rounded story into a set score. "I listen to the music a thousand times before even arriving at the studio," he says, "so that when movement comes, it's motivated by the music."

Kinsun Chan's set, costume, and lighting design draws on corporate aesthetics of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. Apart from the Firebird herself, the ballet carries a dark palette with severe lines and an almost brutalist feel, Thomas says. Green plays a prominent role—a nod to Kurt Jooss' masterwork The Green Table and its similar portrayal of capitalist themes.

Thomas believes the story speaks to the current moment. "People want stories they can relate to," he says. "If we look at our world today, whether that's social media or what's on the news, what we're seeing is how power and greed can really take over. I think we're starting to question the systems that are currently at play."

The premiere marks a significant step for a choreographer three years into his full-time career: his first story ballet, his longest score to conquer, and a direct bid to make an art form compete with the streaming screen.