Texas Ballet Theater
Presents Ben Stevenson’s
The Nutcracker
The annual North Texas family favorite waltzes in to Bass Performance Hall and the Music Hall at Fair Park
North Texas – Ben Stevenson, artistic director of Texas Ballet Theater, is proud to present the Ballet’s most celebrated production of the year, The Nutcracker, performed at Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall and Dallas’ Music Hall at Fair Park. Tickets for The Nutcracker start at $18 and may be purchased by calling toll-free 877.828.9200 or by visiting texasballettheater.org.
A Texas Ballet Theater favorite since the late 1960s, this grand production is a holiday tradition performed annually at Bass Performance Hall and the Music Hall at Fair Park. Audience members will delight in Artistic Director Ben Stevenson’s staging of the holiday story of Clara, whose Nutcracker Prince takes her to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets. With dozens of local children performing in the production, a tree that grows to 40 feet and a life-sized Nutcracker, children and adults will be enchanted by a production that makes lasting memories for all.
Texas Ballet Theater presents 23 public performances of The Nutcracker during November and December. The production opens Friday, November 30 at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, and concludes Sunday, December 23 at the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas. The Ballet will also present one full-length student matinee as well as six “Act I” student matinee performances in conjunction with Bass Performance Hall’s Children’s Education Program.
Audience members interested in gaining “behind the scenes” knowledge of this classic production are invited to attend Texas Ballet Theater’s Pre-Performance Lectures held on the Box Tier Promenade level of Bass Performance Hall forty-five minutes prior to curtain for the Saturday, December 1 evening performance and Sunday, December 2 matinee performance. Margo McCann, Texas Ballet Theater company manager and former artist, offers insight into the world of professional ballet in this informative lecture series.
Characters from Texas Ballet Theater’s The Nutcracker, including the Nutcracker, King Rat, Clara, and Sugar Plum Fairy, will participate in a variety of promotional appearances and special events for the whole family. On December 6, the Ballet hosts the Texas Ballet Theater Fashion Show and Luncheon benefiting The Caren Koslow Scholarship Fund on the set of The Nutcracker at Bass Performance Hall, and invites patrons to join the Company for crafts, treats and more by attending one of the four scheduled Children’s Nutcracker Parties on December 8 and 9, 2007. Additional details are enclosed.
The Nutcracker
Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street, Fort Worth
Friday, November 30 – Sunday, December 16, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.*
Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 2 p.m.*
Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 7 p.m.
Friday, December 7, 2007 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 9, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 7 p.m.
Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
*Free Pre-Performance Lectures open to all audience members are held on the Box Tier Promenade level 45 minutes prior to curtain. Lectures for The Nutcracker are held for select performances only.
The Nutcracker
Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 First Avenue, Dallas
Thursday, December 20 – Sunday, December 23, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 8 p.m.
Friday, December 21, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Performance Information
Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography by Ben Stevenson from the original concept by Marius Petipa and original choreography by Petipa assistant Lev Ivanov in 1892
Set and Costume Design by Campbell Baird
Lighting Design by Christina R. Giannelli
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Opera Orchestra, both conducted by Jack Buckhannan
Tickets
Single tickets start at $18.
Toll-free 877.828.9200 or texasballettheater.org
The Nutcracker - Special Events
Texas Ballet Theater Fashion Show & Luncheon benefiting The Caren Koslow Scholarship Fund
Presented by Texas Ballet Theater and Stanley Korshak
Thursday, December 6, 2007, 11:30 a.m.
Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street, Fort Worth
Fashion Show on The Nutcracker set at Bass Performance Hall featuring the dancers of
Texas Ballet Theater modeling the best of Stanley Korshak and benefiting The Caren Koslow Scholarship Fund. Luncheon immediately following.
Individual tickets are $125 per person.
Tables of 10 are available for $1,000 and $2,500.
Call 214.369.5200, ext. 104 or 817.763.0207, ext. 104 for reservations or more information.
Children's Nutcracker Parties
"Kingdom of Sweets"
Saturday, December 8, 2007, 12 p.m.
Saturday, December 8, 2007, 4 p.m.
Sunday, December 9, 2007, 4 p.m.
Michelle Marlow and Cynthia Prince, Co-Chairs
Mezzanine Lobby, Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street
Tickets are $25 per person.
Call 214.369.5200, ext. 104 or 817.763.0207, ext. 104 for reservations or more information.
"Sugar Plum Party and Luncheon"
Sunday, December 9, 2007, 12 p.m.
Michelle Marlow and Cynthia Prince, Co-Chairs
McDavid Studio, Maddox-Muse Center, 330 East Fourth Street
Reserved tables of 8 are available from $1,000 to $10,000.
Call 214.369.5200, ext. 104 or 817.763.0207, ext. 104 for reservations or more information.
About The Nutcracker
A classical ballet in two acts, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816).
Herr Stahlbaum and his wife are giving a Christmas party. Clara and Fritz, their children, greet the guests. The parents give toys to all the children. Suddenly, the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer arrives and entertains the children with his magical tricks and wind-up dolls.
Dr. Drosselmeyer brings a special gift for Clara – a wooden nutcracker. In a jealous fit, Fritz breaks it. Dr. Drosselmeyer quickly repairs it.
The party ends, the guests leave, and the Stahlbaums retire for the night. Clara awakens as a mouse runs through her room. The clock strikes midnight. Suddenly, the room fills with giant mice who attack Clara. Life-size toy soldiers, led by the valiant Nutcracker, come to her rescue. The King Rat attacks the Nutcracker, but Clara hits him with her shoe and the Nutcracker wins the battle. After the battle, the Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince.
The Nutcracker Prince turns the mansion into the Land of Snow. The Snow Queen and the Nutcracker Prince dance with the Snowflakes. Clara and the Nutcracker Prince depart for the Kingdom of Sweets in an enchanted sleigh.
-20 Minute Intermission-
Clara and the Nutcracker Prince continue their journey. When they arrive in the Kingdom of Sweets, the cooks are preparing delectable treats for their arrival. They are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. In Clara’s honor, the Sugar Plum Fairy arranges for the inhabitants of her kingdom to entertain them while they eat: chocolate, a Spanish Dance; coffee, an Arabian Dance; and tea, a Chinese Dance. Clara is also entertained by the Dance of Mirlitons, a dance with Madame Bonbonaire and her children, a Russian dance, and the Waltz of Flowers. Then, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Nutcracker Prince dance a grand Pas de Deux. As the celebration draws to a close, Clara drifts off to sleep. She awakens in bed, as the Nutcracker Prince salutes his princess Clara.
Texas Ballet Theater Artistic Staff
Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., Artistic Director
Tim O’Keefe, Associate Artistic Director
Li Anlin, Assistant Artistic Director
Anna Donovan, Principal Ballet Master
Jack Buckhannan, Music Director and Conductor
About Texas Ballet Theater
Founded in 1961, Texas Ballet Theater is the premier resident professional Ballet Company of North Texas. Under the direction of artistic director Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., the ballet brings unprecedented talent, beauty and artistic expression to the stages of Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall, Dallas' Music Hall at Fair Park and the historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas. Texas Ballet Theater will become the resident ballet company for the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts when it opens in 2009. Season sponsors include Star-Telegram, American Airlines, Steinway Hall of Fort Worth, The Dallas Morning News, Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, TACA and Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. For more information, go to www.texasballettheater.org.
-END-
Photo Credit
Artist: Carolyn Judson. Photo: Ellen Appel.