Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK today announce the cast and creative team for Message In A Bottle, a new dance theatre production by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, set to the music of 17-time Grammy-Award winning artist Sting.

Message In A Bottle receives its World Premiere at Sadler’s Wells’ West End theatre, The Peacock, from Thursday 6 February - Saturday 21 March 2020, followed by a UK and international tour. Gravity defying lyrical hip hop dance and breath-taking music combine in an uplifting story of humanity and hope. This is the first time Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music have collaborated to produce a show.

Message In A Bottle sees a village alive with joyous celebrations suddenly come under siege. In the chaos, three siblings, Leto Mati and Tana are separated from their parents; they undertake a perilous journey to new lands and step out on their own extraordinary adventures. Songs include Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Walking On The Moon, Englishman in New York, Shape of My Heart and Fields of Gold.

The production features exceptional dancers from ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, who come from all over the UK and from Mexico, Canada, Australia, Japan, Sweden and Holland. In featured roles are Lukas McFarlane as Leto – winner of Sky 1’s Got to Dance (2013); Tommy Franzen as Mati – BBC One’s So You Think You Can Dance (2010) and the Tom Hooper-directed CATS, in cinemas winter 2019; and Natasha Gooden – Blak Whyte Gray (Boy Blue) and Strictly Come Dancing – as Tana. So You Think You Can Dance finalist and judge on CBBC’s Alesha’s Street Dance Stars, Lizzie Gough, appears as Anvi. Franzen, Gough and Gooden are all renowned performers with ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, currently appearing in Some Like It Hip Hop on tour (which comes to The Peacock from Wednesday 23 October – Saturday 9 November). 

They are joined by Nafisah Baba, winner of BBC One’s BBC Young Dancer (2017), who has recently performed in productions by Phoenix Dance Theatre (Windrush – Movement of the People), Alesandra Seutin (Boy Breaking Glass) and Sisters Grimm (INALA).

Also joining the Message In A Bottle cast from the cast of Some Like it Hip Hop are Yukino McHugh, Michael Naylor, Aaron Nuttall, and Delano Spenrath. The rest of the company includes Annie Edwards (Into the Hoods), Nestor Garcia Gonzalez (Strictly Come Dancing) and Gavin Vincent (Soul Mavericks Crew), who are all seasoned performers with ZooNation, and making their ZooNation debut are Sam Baxter, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Anna Holmstrom, Emma Houston, Ajani Johnson-Goffe, Daniella Sellwood, Daniel Phung, Hannah Sandilands, and Joshua Smith.

Alongside its outstanding choreographer and iconic composer, Message In A Bottle features a multi-award-winning creative team, including new musical arrangements by Alex Lacamoire, Grammy and Tony Award-winner for his work on musicals including Hamilton (2016), In The Heights (2008), Dear Evan Hansen (2017) and The Greatest Showman (2017), and Emmy Award-winner for Fosse/Verdon in 2019. Music production and additional arrangements for the show are by multi-Grammy Award-winner Martin Terefe, who has written and produced for artists such as Jason Mraz, Sean Mendes, KT Tunstall, Tom Odell and Train.

Message In A Bottle has set design by Ben Stones (MEN 2011 Award Winner for Best Design for Doctor Faustus at the Royal Exchange); video design by Andrzej Goulding (winner of the inaugural Theatre and Technology Award for Creative Innovation in Video Design for Room in 2017); costume design by Anna Fleischle (Olivier Award Winner, 2016 for Hangmen); and lighting design by Natasha Chivers (Olivier Award Winner, 2007 for Sunday in the Park with George). 

Sound design is by David McEwan (Music Producers Guild Award Winner (2011)); music co-production and mixing is by Grammy Award-winning Oskar Winberg; and dramaturgy is by Lolita Chakrabarti, whose writing credits include the critically acclaimed Life Of Pi and Olivier Award-nominated Red Velvet (2012). The Associate Choreographer is Lukas McFarlane (Strictly Come Dancing).

Kate Prince said: “I’m genuinely excited that this collection of talented beings has agreed to collaborate with me. The creative team for Message In A Bottle come from very diverse creative backgrounds and I’ve much to learn from all of them.

“I am so inspired by this incredible international company of ZooNation dancers. Their skill and ability is insane. The company has some of the best breakers and contemporary movers I’ve encountered during my 20 years of working in professional dance. Their dedication and discipline, agility, strength, stamina and their ability to tell stories through dance are both mind blowing and exhilarating. I feel very fortunate that I get to tell this very important story with them and to create movement with their fantastically talented and expressive bodies.”

Press night: Tuesday 18 February 2020 

A Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK Production. Co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome and The Lowry

Research and Development for the production is supported by The Movement, a dance producing partnership between Birmingham Hippodrome, The Lowry and Sadler’s Wells. Supported by Arts Council England, The Movement aims to nurture talent and bring large scale dance productions to even wider audiences

The Monument Trust supports new commissions at Sadler’s Wells 

Tickets for Message In A Bottle are on public sale via www.sadlerswells.com and 020 7863 8000