Gennadi Nedvigin | Artistic Director
Gennadi Nedvigin | Artistic Director
The Carlos Family in Honor of Thalia N. Carlos Presents
The Nutcracker
December 8-24, 2018 The Carlos Family in Honor of Thalia N. Carlos Presents The Nutcracker
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Atlanta Ballet's first new Nutcracker in 20 years marks a milestone in dance history — with world-class choreography by Yuri Possokhov, awe-inspiring set designs by Tony Award nominee Tom Pye, groundbreaking projection design by Tony Award winner Finn Ross, stunning costume design by Sandra Woodall, and imaginative lighting design by David Finn.
Be among the first to experience the magic of The Nutcracker for The Next Generation at the Fox Theatre!
Singing in “Snow Scene,” Act I
Georgia Youth Choir
Alyssa Gangarosa, Artistic Director
Caitlin Grubbe, Accompanist
Performance Photos
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Venue
The Fox Theatre
The Fox Theatre is Atlanta’s most opulent historic landmark and a nationally acclaimed theatre.
Location and Parking
The Fox Theatre is located at 660 Peachtree Street at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Peachtree Street. Parking for the theatre is available in a variety of lots within a four-block radius. Parking prices range from $4 - $15. The Fox Theatre is also easily accessible via the North Avenue MARTA rail station. Visit www.itsmarta.com for more information.Doors
Doors to the Fox Theatre will open 60 minutes prior to the show’s start time. Guests will be permitted to enter via the Arcade at the main entrance on Peachtree Street.
Security
Your security is of the upmost importance to us! Each guest will be required to pass through a security check point in order to gain entrance in to the theatre. Magnetometers will be in use. Prohibited items include weapons of any kind (firearms, knives, pepper spray, etc), bags larger than 8.5”x11”, illegal substances, outside food and beverage, animals or pets, and professional cameras. Thank you for your cooperation!Emergency Phone Number
404.881.2100 is the emergency number for the Fox Theatre. Please leave your seat location with your babysitter or answering service so that an usher may reach you in case of an emergency.Special Needs
Phonic Ear Easy Listening System headsets are available in the Fox Theatre lobby. Headsets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Assistance is also available for patrons who need help upon arrival at the Fox Theatre. For more information, please call 404.881.2100.Click here for restaurant, hotel, and additional venue information.
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Group Discounts
Community and Corporate Group Tickets
It only takes 10 people to benefit from Atlanta Ballet's Group Sales program. With our fast, friendly, and convenient service, you can secure the best seats in the house in no time at all. Groups save up to 25% on regular prices!
Click here for details and to submit a request to Group Sales Manager Myredith Gonzales.
Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education's Kids In Step Student Matinée Series for School Groups
The Centre for Dance Education's Kids In Step student matinée series is designed to bring dance to the school-age child. For more information on weekday performances for accredited school groups and registered home schools, please visit our
Kids In Step page. -
Audience Reviews
By Genie Brown Dec 17th, 2018
I’m so sorry to say that I was extremely disappointed in the new version of the Nutcracker. It certainly lacked the pageantry of the older version. Not many children participated, and the scenery was terrible. Dark and depressing. Hope next year The Atlanta Ballet will go back to the older version. Technology has it’s place but not in the beautiful world of live theater.
By Vi Pham Dec 20th, 2018
As I gathered my belongings to follow the throngs of theatergoers flooding the exit, I cradled my right swollen middle finger. I had spent the last couple hours wildly applauding at every opportune moment and still, I was draped in the enchantment of the evening.The Atlanta Ballet Company's emotive and hauntingly beautiful performance of the reinvigorated production of "The Nutcracker" was nothing short of delightful and many times, goosebump-inducingly so. From the moment the word "Nutcracker" appeared on the projection-screen curtain prior to the show--with the turning cogs and whimsical slipping of letters that a mechanical arm would barely catch in time (and even a tooting teddy bear!)--I was transported to the remarkable places from my husband's beloved steampunk stories with cold, dreary weather and lots of scientific discoveries.I work in tech but have been vocally skeptical of its role in society, however, on my drive home from The Fox last night, I strangely felt comforted by the possibility of people finding ways to integrate technology into our lives that preserve and respect our humanity while bringing us to foreign lands and times.While I refrain from giving away the story (which you can just search for anyway), I feel compelled to urge those who have yet to see the show to go and experience the seamless weaving of classical ballet with the technological advances of our age. I have seen the Atlanta Ballet perform "The Nutcracker" throughout the past six seasons and this year's show left me utterly spellbound. I cannot wait to see next year's performance!
By Brianna Green Dec 20th, 2018
I was very excited to see the Nutcracker again this year as I have for the last 5 years and was very disappointed with the new changes. It's not what I was expecting at all. There weren't many individual dance sequences for Arabian nights and sugar plum fairies etc. They were very short and not very lively. The set was very dark and not very colorful as the previous/original show. The technology sequence was cool but didn't seem to fit very well with the theatrics of the show. This was not what I expected at all and I was very excited to come back again this year. I hope the ballet will go back to the original version next year.
By Dance Lover Dec 21st, 2018
Beautiful sets and costumes, updated choreography. A beautiful production!
By Frederick K Duffer Dec 23rd, 2018
I am disheartened to see the 1 and 2 star reviews for the new version of the Nutcracker. This was my first ballet experience, and I have to say it was excellent and nothing like I was expecting to see. I may not be a ballet afcianado, but I am infilm production, and I found it fascinating. I understand how change from a traditional presentation can be difficult to accept, but such poor reviews are completely unwarranted. It was a great mix of new theatre technique and traditional dance presentation. Do youself a favor and go see this for yourself.
By Remi Klein Dec 24th, 2018
Please go back to the original version next year! This year’s set was dark and did not fit the lively Christmas theme. I did not like that the beginning of act one was completely different from the original-they took out clara getting her pointe shoes, the beggars in the intro, etc. And the second half was even worse-where were the jokers and the sheep? Why was the dress lady a man? What happened to the children in all of the scenes? The whole thing was really disappointing. I would much rather see the original version than see this new “fancy” tech savvy version.
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Seating Chart
The Fox Theatre
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Reviews
Review: Atlanta Ballet’s new “Nutcracker” captivates with layered effects, simple story
Cynthia Bond Perry, ArtsATL, 2018.12.11
On stage, the real and fantastical mingled with everyday things — an armchair and a glass-front cabinet, or a puppet theater and its marionettes that suddenly grew tenfold then collapsed into nothing just as quickly. In this storybook world, Marie’s living room turned surreal, throwing her environment off-kilter. The mysterious uncle or godfather Drosselmeier — whom Nikolas Gaifullin portrayed with a youngish, gentlemanly grace — took a central role. He orchestrated the transformation of everything around Marie, including a wooden-headed Nutcracker that turned into a handsome prince. In both of the pas de deux with Marie and the Prince, Possokhov’s choreography looped and dove around the space like a roving, dream-like imagination, liberated from the constraints of rational thought and physicalized. Within the nucleus of their duets, their movement stirred and whirled, then soared, dipped and opened outward toward the audience. Igarashi projected warmth and vivacity.
“The Nutcracker” Embraces High Tech in Atlanta
Laura Jacobs, Vanity Fair, 2018.11.26
Lest anyone think that a high-tech approach is inappropriate for this classic, be reminded that at its premiere in 1892, Tchaikovsky’s fantasy ballet left Russian critics perplexed. His colleague Mikhail Ivanov, however, saw that with this brilliant score, ballet as a medium had “started out along a completely different path from before.” So “The Nutcracker” itself was progressive. That said, Possokhov is following the traditional American story line as laid out by the Christensen brothers in San Francisco (1944) and George Balanchine in New York (1954), though his iteration will be more mystical, celestial, and spooky.
Atlanta Ballet enchants and stuns in new ‘Nutcracker’
Allison Gupton, Dance Informa, 2018.12.09
A talented team of artists and designers assembled over the past two years to create an incredibly magical theatrical experience. The hard work, creativity and commitment to this world premiere was evident in the scale of all aspects of the design and in the small details seen throughout the show.
High tech, holiday traditions meet in Atlanta Ballet’s new ‘Nutcracker’
Curt Holman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2018.12.04
The production team includes Tony Award-winning video/projection designer Finn Ross, Tony-nominated set designer Tom Pye and lighting designer David Finn. The $3.7 million production promises to enhance the dance with projected imagery and other state-of-the-art technological effects. “As technology moves on, artists develop new skills. Technology inspires creatives to explore new borders of their imagination onstage. Yuri is a master of this. The projections and visual enhancements will only help him bring the dancers up front,” says Nedvigin.
The Atlanta Ballet Presents “The Nutcracker” at Fox Theatre
O'Brian Gunn, GA Voice, 2018.11.20
When you hear mention of “The Nutcracker,” your mind may instantly conjure up the new “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” movie. Rather than take a risk on what’s (so far) shaping up to be a rather lackluster movie, treat yourself and your family to a new, transcendent onstage performance of the classic production from the talented Atlanta Ballet at the historic Fox Theatre this December.
The Nutcracker from Atlanta Ballet gets new-age makeover in its 24th year
Natisha Lance, 11Alive, 2018.12.21
It’s a challenge Atlanta Ballet dancer Emily Carrico, who plays Marie in the production, said the dancers are up for.“The scale of everything in this theater and the choreography is just out of this world,” she said. “It's like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and pretty much, I would say, it's safe to say any dancer in the company has danced before.”
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Video
Atlanta Ballet's New Nutcracker
Atlanta Ballet's The Nutcracker: Past Present and Future
The Nutcracker Opens on Dec. 8th!
Behind the Scenes with Atlanta Ballet's "The Nutcracker"
Atlanta Ballet's "The Nutcracker" - Working with the Wonderful Yuri Possokhov
Yuri Possokhov's "The Nutcracker"
The Nutcracker - Atlanta Ballet (30 Second)
The Nutcracker - Atlanta Ballet (15 Second)
Drex Rener for Atlanta Ballet
Kaedy Kiely for Atlanta Ballet
Condace Pressley for Atlanta Ballet
Checka Cee for Atlanta Ballet
11Alive News segment: Atlanta Ballet rolls out new age of The Nutcracker
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Choreographer
Yuri Possokhov, Choreographer
Yuri Possokhov danced for 10 years with the Bolshoi Ballet, performing leading roles in the company’s classical and contemporary repertoire. While performing, Possokhov studied choreography and ballet pedagogy at the State College of Theatrical Arts, completing the five-year course in 1990. He was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet for two years before joining the San Francisco Ballet (SFB) as a principal dancer in 1994. During his 12 years dancing with SFB, he began choreographing. Upon his retirement from dancing in 2006, he joined the artistic staff at San Francisco Ballet as choreographer in residence. He has created 14 ballets for SFB and continues to choreograph new works for the company each season. Possokhov choreographs ballets for companies worldwide. In 2015, his full-length for the Bolshoi Ballet, A Hero of Our Time, was met with critical acclaim, and the company invited him to stage a full-length ballet based on the life of Rudolf Nureyev that premiered in December 2017. For these two ballets, Possokhov received the prestigious Benois de la Danse Award, established by the International Dance Union. Yuri Possokhov is a frequent guest choreographer with Atlanta Ballet. His Classical Symphony, Don Quixote and Firebird are also part of Atlanta Ballet’s repertoire. You can learn more at yuripossokhov.com.
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Design Team
Photo courtesy of roh.org.
David Finn, Lighting Designer
Finn began his professional career as a lighting designer at age 16 working for the puppeteer Burr Tillstrom and Kukla, Fran & Ollie. David's previous work with Atlanta Ballet includes The Four Seasons, The Exiled, and Camino Real (for which he also completed his first professional scenic design). His design credits for dance include The Nutcracker and Cinderella (Birmingham Royal Ballet), Romeo & Juliette for Sasha Waltz (Paris Opera Ballet), Swan Lake (Bayerisches Staatsballett), and works for renowned choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham, James Kudelka, José Limón, Helgi Tomasson, Liam Scarlett, Yuri Possokhov, and Dana Reitz, as well as for leading international companies. David was the resident lighting designer for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project from 1993-2000. His opera work includes projects for the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Paris Opera, La Scala Milan, Salzburg Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper, La Monnaie (Brussels), Opera de Lyon, Opera Communale (Florence), Het Muziektheater (Amsterdam), Stuttgart Opera, Opera Australia, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and San Francisco Opera. For film, Finn’s work includes stage lighting for Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence and producer/director of the PBS documentary The Green Monster. David has designed two shows for Cirque du Soleil: ZED in Tokyo and MICHAEL JACKSON ONE in Las Vegas. Future plans include Les Troyens for The Lyric Opera of Chicago,
Tom Pye, Scenic Designer
Roundabout Debut. Broadway: Testament of Mary, All My Sons, Top Girls, Cyrano de Bergerac, Glass Menagerie, Medea, Fiddler on the Roof (Tony Nom). West End: A Christmas Carol, Sinatra, Medea. Recent: Invisible Thread (Second Stage, ART); High Society (Old Vic); Platonov, Ivanov, The Seagull (Chichester, National Theatre); John Gabriel Borkman (Abbey Theatre, BAM); Mother Courage, Happy Days, Measure for Measure (Royal National). Opera: Death of Klinghoffer, Eugene Onegin, Così Fan Tutti (MET/ENO); Akhnaten (ENO/LA); Death in Venice (Premio Franco Abbiati).
Finn Ross, Video Designer
Ross trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and designs video and projection for all forms of live performance. He works regularly for English National Opera, credits including Benvenuto Cellini (with Adam Young), The Death of Klinghoffer, Eugene Onegin, The Magic Flute, Simon Boccanegra, The Damnation of Faust, and Don Giovanni. Other opera credits include The Turn of the Screw (Theater an der Wien), Sunset Boulevard (Gothenburg Opera), A Dog’s Heart (Dutch National Opera, La Scala, Milan, ENO and Opéra de Lyon), Knight Crew (Glyndebourne Festival), The Adventures of Mr Brouček (Opera North and Scottish Opera), and Das Portrait (Bregenz Festival).
Ross’s theatre work includes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Greenland (National Theatre), Shun-Kin and The Master and Margarita (Complicite) Sugar Mummies (Royal Court), The Gods Weep (Royal Shakespeare Company), Top Girls (Chichester Festival and Trafalgar Studios), All My Sons (Broadway), Little Otik (Vanishing Point/National Theatre of Scotland), and Die Ringe des Saturn (Schauspielhaus, Cologne). He is a member of the London-based group of video and projection designers Mesmer.
Photo courtesy of cballet.org.
Sandra Woodall, Costume Designer
Woodall has contributed scenic and costume designs to San Francisco Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Georgian National Ballet, The Norwegian National Ballet, the State Opera Ballet of Austria, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Project, Singapore Dance Theatre, National Ballet of Finland, and other companies around the world. Recent productions include costume designs for Atlanta Ballet’s Camino Real choreographed by Helen Pickett. Ms. Woodall’s artwork has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, the San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design, and in many group exhibitions, including the 2011 Wearable Art exhibit in Hong Kong. In 1999 and 2000, she was a Fulbright scholar teaching at what is now the Taiwan National University of the Arts (TNUA). She has contributed designs and visual consultation to many productions in Taiwan and China, including 2009’s stadium-scale opening pageant for the Deaf Olympics, scenic designs for the 100th anniversary-celebration of Taiwan National Day, and in the 2015 scenic and costume design of Winter Journey by Wan Fang and directed by Stan Lai in Beijing.
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Conductor
Garrett Keast, Conductor
Garrett Keast is a Berlin–based American conductor whose career launched with performances of Faust at the Opera National de Paris, the acclaimed production of Bluthaus by Georg Friedrich Haas’s at Oper Bonn and Die Zauberflöte at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Very active as a concert artist, in the last season he conducted Stravinsky’s Le Sacre de Printemps with the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, a Haydn-Jorg Widmann program with the Belgian National Orchestra in Brussels and Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg. He was born in Houston and mentored by Christoph Eschenbach at the Houston Symphony Orchestra before beginning his career at the New York City Opera. In the 2018-19 season, Garrett Keast leads more than 60 performances across Europe and North America. Highlights include performances with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, New Year’s concerts with the Orchestre National de Lorraine and Romeo and Juliet with the Tonkunstler Orchestra in Vienna. He conducts Hamburg Ballet’s Bernstein Dances at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and Staatsoper Hamburg and John Neumeier’s production of Sylvia with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. He returns to the Royal Danish Ballet for broadcast performances of Giselle in Copenhagen, as well as a tour of Denmark. Additionally, he leads productions of Don Quixote and The Nutcracker with the Hamburg Ballet and a new production of The Nutcracker with Atlanta Ballet. Garrett Keast has conducted opera and ballet productions with the Opera National de Paris (Faust and Swan Lake), Deutsche Oper Berlin (Die Zauberfl ote), Theater Erfurt (Der Fliegender Hollander), Theater Bremen (Rigoletto), Oper Bonn (Bluthaus), Aspen Music Festival (La Bohème), Hamburg Ballet (Bernstein Dances, Mahler’s 10th Symphony, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Othello, Shakespeare Dances and Tatjana), Royal Danish Ballet (Ballet de Luxe Gala and Giselle), Opera San Antonio (Carmen), and the Fort Worth Opera Festival (Così fan tutte), among many others.
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Costume & Set Sponsors
The Nutcracker Costume & Set Sponsors
PNC's The Nutcracker Kids In Step student matinee series - PNC
The Nutcracker - Sarah Kennedy
Lighting Designer - Elizabeth & Howell Adams
Mouse King - Arrow Exterminators
Marie - Atlanta Ballet Corps de Ballet
The Arm Chair - Jan Beaves
Costume Designer - Ginny & Charles Brewer Family Foundation
A Rose - Lynn Cochran-Schroder & Bill Schroder
Dragonflies - Erroll & Elaine Davis
Arabian Female - Vanessa & Robin Delmer
Drosselmeier - The Elster Foundation
A Young Mouse - Nancy Field & Michael Schulder
French Female - Adrienne & Scott Hardesty
Spanish Dancers & the Moon - Bonnie & Terry Herron
The Cabinet - The Home Depot Foundation
The Skier - Joyce Houser, Ph.D.
The Book - Barbara & Eric Joiner
A Snowflake - Susan S. Kettering
A Russian Female - Kathleen & Kirk Knous
Chicks - Carole & Nelson Marchioli
Drosselmeier's Sleigh - Linda & Don Morris
Flying Special Effects - Northside Hospital Star
Star Backdrop - Outfront Media
A Toy Soldier - Mrs. William A. Parker, Jr.
Flowers - REPAY
Girl Party Child - Danna & Mike Sanders
Toy Theatre - Mr. William F. Snyder
A Russian Female - Dante S. Stephensen
A Rocking Horse - Karen Vereb & Bud Blanton
A Doll - Pam Wakefield
Additional costume and set piece sponsorships available. Please contact Major Gifts Officer Amy Green at agreen@atlantaballet.com or 404.873.5811 x1219.
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Donor Listing
Atlanta Ballet is grateful to the individual, corporate, and foundation donors who are making this world premiere production possible.
Platinum ($1 million +)
Thalia N. Carlos & Chris M. Carlos Foundation
PNC
Sarah Kennedy
Jones Day Foundation
Silver ($100,000 - $249,999)
Arrow Exterminators
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Elaine & Erroll Davis
The Home Depot Foundation
Outfront Media
The Sara Giles Moore Foundation
The Zeist Foundation
Bronze ($50,000 - $99,999)
Anonymous
Atlanta Ballet Corps de Ballet
Ginny & Charles Brewer Family Foundation
The Elster Foundation
The Imlay Foundation
Linda & Don Morris
Northside Hospital
REPAY
Stephanie & Austin Stephens
Supporter ($25,000 - $49,999)
Elizabeth & Howell Adams III
Bonnie & Terry Herron
Barbara & Eric Joiner
Pam Wakefield
Jan Beaves
Vanessa & Robin Delmer
Adrienne & Scott Hardesty
Kathleen & Kirk Knous
Margaret P. McCamish
Dante S. StephensenContributor ($5,000 - $9,999)
Gayle & Ron Breakstone
Dr. Meria Carstarphen
Lynn Cochran-Schroder & Bill Schroder
Nancy Field & Michael Schulder
Douglas Hopkins
Susan S. Kettering
Carole & Nelson Marchioli
Mr. William F. Snyder
Friend ($1,000 – $4,999)
Helen & Howard Elkins
Florida & Doug Ellis
Carol Lanier Goodman
Joyce Houser, Ph.D.
Jamila & Whitcliff A. McKnight, Jr.
Mrs. William A. Parker, Jr.
Danna & Mike Sanders
Thays & Juan Carlos Urdaneta
Karen Vereb & Bud BlantonUp to $1,000
Anonymous
Ken & Laurie Borick
Susan Carter
Cynthia Crain, Ed.D & Dwight Lee, Ph.D.
Lavona Currie
Arrington Davies
Eve Eckardt
Kevin & Paige Feagin
Thomas & Elizabeth Fowlkes
Kate & Patrick Gaul
Elizabeth Hamrick
Brian & Amy Howell
Mark & Pat Jackson
Ceci & Holland Johnson
Mariana Laufer
VyVy & Lawrence Lee
Melanie & Chris Leeth
Farris Lewis
Steven Libman & Carol Killworth
Jeanie & Albert Marx
Elizabeth & Chris Morris
Melissa & Thespi Mortimer
Donald & Helen O’Shea
Sara Partin
Lys & Michael Paulhus
The Peacock Family
Susan & Richard Pershing
Jonathan & Amelia Poplar
Jill Pryor & Edward Krugman
Manda & Jeremy Shankel
Kristen Manion Taylor & Jason Taylor
Roberta Taylor & James Hill
Judie & Tom Wilhite*As of January 31, 2019
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Lead Casting
Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 7:30pm
Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 7:00pm
Thursday, December 13, 2018 at 7:30pm
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2:00pm
Sunday, December 16, 2018 at 2:00pm
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 7:30pm
Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 2:00pm
Sunday, December 23, 2018 at 2:00pm
Marie - Airi Igarashi
Herr Drosselmeier - Nikolas Gaifullin
Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 2:00pm
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 7:30pm
Friday, December 21, 2018 at 2:00pm
Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 7:30pm
Monday, December 24, 2018 at 1:00pmMarie - Jessica Assef
Nutcracker Prince - Igor Leushin
Herr Drosselmeier - Jacob Bush
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 7:30pm
Marie - Jessica Assef
Nutcracker Prince - Igor Leushin
Herr Drosselmeier - Nikolas Gaifullin
Friday, December 14, 2018 at 7:30pm
Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 7:30pm
Sunday, December 23, 2018 at 7:00pm
Marie - Emily Carrico
Nutcracker Prince - Moisés Martín
Herr Drosselmeier - Jordan Leeper
Sunday, December 16, 2018 at 7:00pm
Friday, December 21, 2018 at 7:30pmMarie - Emily Carrico
Nutcracker Prince - Moisés Martín
Herr Drosselmeier - Nikolas Gailfullin*Casting subject to change
- The Nutcracker Playbill