Casting Announced for Cleveland Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER

Cleveland Ballet will present the return of Co-Founder and Artistic Director Gladisa Guadalupe's The Nutcracker at Playhouse Square's Connor Palace from Friday, December 3rd to Sunday, December 5th. The enchanting holiday favorite has an electric cast of 24 company artists from nine countries around the world and over sixty students from School of Cleveland Ballet, the official school of Cleveland Ballet.

The 5 performance run will feature Caroline and the Prince as they battle the Mouse King, dance in a glistening snow fall, and travel by hot air balloon to celebrate in exotic and magical lands. These title roles will be interpreted by Marla Minadeo (USA) and Bruno Palheta (Brazil) for the 12/3 and 12/4 evening performances and 12/5 matinee. Katharine Cowan (USA) and Emanuel Tavares (Brazil) will take the stage for the 12/3 and 12/4 matinees.

The King and Queen of the lands will feature Japan native Kaela Ku and Stark County native and former New York City Ballet Principal dancer Zachary Catazaro for the 12/3 and 12/4 evening performances. Armenian dancers Narek Martirosyan and Albina Ghazaryan will perform the roles at the 12/4 and 12/5 matinees, and long-time Cleveland Ballet artists Madison Campbell and Covington Pearson will grace the stage for the 12/3 matinee.

This principal casting reflects the company's years of experience and talent, ranging from locally-grown artists to internationally acclaimed dancers. "There is something for everyone to love in this beautiful production." said Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Gladisa Guadalupe. "This exquisite production will highlight the growing artistic talent within the company."

All five performances of The Nutcracker will take place at the Connor Palace at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland (1615 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115):

Friday, December 3rd, 2021 at 11:00AM

Friday, December 3rd, 2021 at 8:00PM

Saturday, December 4th, 2021 at 1:00PM

Saturday, December 4th, 2021 at 7:00PM

Sunday, December 5th, 2021 at 1:00PM

Tickets begin at $25. To purchase tickets and for more information on the production please visitwww.playhousesquare.org. For the latest in health and safety guidelines to return to the theatre, please visithttps://www.playhousesquare.org/plan-your-visit-main/health-safety.

The two act ballet is based on the original story by E.T.A. Hoffman (1776-1822) "The Nutcracker And The Mouse King,'' with a musical score composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker performance length is 1:40 minutes with intermission.

Choreography: Gladisa Guadalupe

Music: Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Set Design: Jeffrey McLaughlin and Cameron Caley Michalak

Lighting Design: Dennis Dugan

Costume Design: Gladisa Guadalupe, Cleveland Ballet costume shop, and Russian and Ukrainian costume companies