Photo Flash: First Look at The House Theatre's THE NUTCRACKER

The House Theatre of Chicago once again brings holiday cheer for the whole family with its seventh annual engagement of the all-original, ballet-free The Nutcracker playing at The Chopin Theatre upstairs theatre, 1543 W. Division, Now - December 30.

Company Members Jake Minton, Phillip Klapperich, Kevin O'Donnell and Tommy Rapleycreated the adaptation. Company Member Rapley reprises his role as director and choreographer of the holiday production based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's story.

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. with 3 p.m. matinees Saturdays and Sundays. Preview tickets are $15 with regular run tickets $25 - $45. Student and industry same-day discounted tickets are available for $15 for all dates, based on availability. Tickets may be purchased by calling773.769.3832 or by visiting www.thehousetheatre.com.

The House's fantastical expansion of this holiday classic centers on young Clara's journey to celebrate Christmas in the face of grief after the death of her brother, Fritz. When Fritz returns to her as a magical nutcracker come to life, this brave little girl fights the Rat King and saves her family. The House's modern holiday theatrical production weaves together riveting dialogue, astonishing puppetry, original song and spellbinding spectacle to tell a heartwarming, darkly moving story of magic and hope-a fun outing fit for the whole family.

Freshly revamped during workshop time at the Chicago Performance Lab this past summer, repeat fans of the show have new musical additions to look forward to and new audiences will delight in the production's creativity and heart. In addition, making her The House Theatre debut is 16-year old Ariana Burks as "Clara." The production premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre in 2007 under the Visiting Company Initiative and has enjoyed highly acclaimed new productions at The House from 2010 through 2015, as well as simultaneous productions in Chicago and Miami in 2012.

Check out the first look at the production below!

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