The Nutcracker Study Guides
Study guides in a variety of languages for our young audience members to learn more about PNB's productions The Nutcracker.
Staying Healthy at The Nutcracker
Our youngest Nutcracker performers, all students at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, are some of the most dedicated kids in the ballet world. Each year, from late September to late December, they devote themselves to telling this timeless holiday story. From our littlest golden angels, to Clara’s bed rollers, each and every student […]
Leaping from Caricature into Character
By Phil Chan, co-Founder, Final Bow for Yellowface
As a Chinese person, the second act of The Nutcracker has always bugged me. Looking more broadly at the historic depictions of “Chinese” people on the Western performing arts stage, we see fantasy elements of what Europeans thought Chinese people looked like […]
Executive Director’s Notes – The Nutcracker 2021
Dear Friends,
From all of us at PNB, welcome to The Nutcracker! We are so wildly happy you’re here. The 2020 holiday season was simply not the same without you. You’ll see that our production and McCaw Hall’s festive atmosphere are adapted for the most up-to-date health and safety reasons. […]
Artistic Director’s Notebook – George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker 2021
Artistic Director’s Notebook: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ 2021
“This cannon fires cheese,” Mr. Gio explained in a recent battle scene rehearsal for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, prompting all the nine and ten-year-old Soldiers to giggle uncontrollably.
“What kind of cheese?” asked Soldier Number Seven, […]
Nutcracker Craft: Popsicle Stick Dolls
Materials needed:
Wooden popsicle/craft sticks
Cupcake liners
Washi tape
Markers
Stickers, glitter glue, etc. Anything else you want to use to decorate!
Scissors
Q & A with Lauren Kirchner
If you have been involved with Nutcracker or other ballets involving student casts, chances are you know Lauren Kirchner! Lauren has been working at PNB since 2009, wearing many hats – including her most recent as PNB Office Manager and COVID Safety Supervisor – and has been a part of 263 Nutcracker performances over 7 seasons […]
Executive Director’s Notes: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker 2020
Executive Director’s Notes: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker 2020
Dear Friends,
For many years I spent a lot of afternoons and evenings standing just inside the north door of McCaw Hall as Nutcracker audiences arrived for their show. Knowing that Nutcracker revenue supports everything we do […]
Artistic Director’s Notebook: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker 2020
Artistic Director’s Notebook: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker 2020
When the days grow short and the nights cold and festive holiday lights appear all around us, we spot snow on faraway peaks and wonder whether we might see enough outside our windows to build a snowperson. We also realize […]