Hold onto your ballet slippers—Game of Thrones alum Ben Crompton is trading swords for pliés. The actor, best known as the deadpan Night’s Watch Lord Commander Eddison Tollett, is now directing a dark, reimagined ballet version of Snow White titled Snow White: The Sacrifice110.
Produced by BalletLORENT—the acclaimed female-led dance theater company run by Crompton’s wife, Liv Lorent—this isn’t your Disney-fied fairy tale. Described as a “bloody, cautionary tale for our image-obsessed age,” the production amps up the Grimm brothers’ original horror with savage choreography, poetic narration, and a haunting score14.
Here’s what you need to know:
Key Creative Team
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Director: Ben Crompton (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who)110
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Choreography: Liv Lorent (Artistic Director of BalletLORENT)1
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Script: Carol Ann Duffy (T.S. Eliot Prize-winning poet and former UK Poet Laureate)110
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Narration: Sarah Parish (W1A, Mistresses)110
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Music: Murray Gold (Doctor Who, It’s a Sin)14
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Costumes: Nasir Mazhar and Libby El-Alfy210
What Makes This Snow White Different?
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Dark & Gritty Tone: The story leans into the Grimm origins—think vanity, cannibalism, and psychological horror—with an “after dark” rating (16+)410.
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Queen-Centric Narrative: Focuses on Snow White’s mother (not stepmother) grappling with aging, jealousy, and monstrous fantasies410.
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Innovative Set Design: A giant dressing table transforms into a forest, and the mirror is embodied by a dancer (Aisha Naamani) in metallic silver46.
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No Dwarves?: Instead, a clan of miners symbolizes labor and class contrasts4.
Production & Release
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Filmed in July 2025 at BalletLORENT’s studio in Newcastle’s West End (jokingly dubbed “Benywood” as a nod to Hollywood)1013.
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Features local youth from BalletLORENT’s free Youth Academy1013.
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Premieres September 1, 2025, exclusively on Marquee TV, the global arts streaming platform110.
Behind the Scenes
Crompton, though famed for Thrones, has deep roots in British comedy and drama (Ideal, Pramface, Mike Leigh films). He co-directed this adaptation with Alex Ayre, blending contemporary dance, theater, and film11013.
Cecilia Beacon, VP of Content at Marquee TV, hailed the project as “visually stunning, thematically rich, and unafraid to challenge expectations”1.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just another fairy tale retelling. It’s a visceral critique of beauty standards and aging—and a testament to how classic stories can be reinvented through bold, interdisciplinary art. Plus, it’s putting Newcastle’s creative scene on the map1013.
Snow White: The Sacrifice joins BalletLORENT’s growing roster of innovative works (like The Lost Happy Endings, also streaming on Marquee TV)9.
Ben Crompton directs a bloody, ballet version of Snow White that’s more Black Swan than Disney princess. Premieres Sept. 1 on Marquee TV.