George Balanchine’s

The Nutcracker®

December 8 – 24, 2023 | Keller Auditorium

George Balanchine
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Join Marie and her Prince as the Sugar Plum Fairy leads them on an unforgettable journey through the Land of Sweets where brave toy soldiers battle mischievous mice, snowflakes dance, candy canes leap, and flowers waltz. The irresistible holiday tradition of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®  awaits. Don your holiday finest and come make merry memories with us!

Performance Schedule

Featuring 12 performances with the OBT Orchestra.

= indicates performances with OBT Orchestra led by Resident Music Director Raúl Gómez-Rojas
= indicates performances with Audio Description

In a Nutshell
In a Nutshell

A special sensory friendly one-hour Nutcracker performance

Tuesday, December 19 – 12:00 PM

In a Nutshell features all of Act 2 from George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.®

In a Nutshell is a special one hour performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® created for families with tiny tots to enjoy their first ballet. We pick up the story at the beginning of second act as the Sugar Plum Fairy leads Marie and her Prince into the Land of Sweets. They are seated on a special throne to enjoy the dances of Hot Chocolate, Marzipan, Candy Canes, and more! This condensed, sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker is designed to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for people with sensory processing challenges and for those with young children to enjoy the shared experience of live ballet with their friends and family. This performance will have a relaxed environment including lighting and sound modifications and entry/exit privileges. In this performance we understand that patrons may move, vocalize, and bring comfort items so that they may feel at ease in the theatre.

We’ve created a simple guide (also called a social story) to help children and other guests know what to expect at this special sensory friendly performance. You can view it here.


Get the most out of your theater experience! Join us for PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES, a FREE informative and interactive 30-minute discussion beginning one hour before each show.


Terms of Sale

Countdown Clock

Run Time

Approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes with one 25 minute intermission