THE NUTCRACKER Opens at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre This Week
Performances run December 5-28.
By: Stephi Wild Dec. 01, 2025
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT)’s magical, time-honored holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, will open on December 5, 2025, at the Benedum Center. Running until Sunday, December 28, 2025, the production features an unprecedented number of local Pittsburgh celebrities in walk-on roles in the “Party Scene.” Across 17 performances, 20 celebrity guest stars will take the stage, including:
- Charlie Batch (12/5 @ 7 pm), Pittsburgh Steelers and Founder of Best of the Batch Foundation
- Latasha Wilson-Batch (12/5 @ 7 pm), Executive Director of Best of the Batch Foundation
- Megan Shinn (12/6 @ 2 pm), KDKA-TV Anchor and Reporter
- Corey O’Connor (12/6 @ 7 pm), Allegheny County Controller & Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect
- Bonny Diver (12/6 @ 7 pm), iHeart Radio Host, & Founder of Hair Peace Charities
- Jeremy Reynolds (12/7 @ 12 pm), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Critic and Journalist
- Chandi Chapman (12/12 @ 7 pm), WTAE-TV Anchor and Reporter
- Victoria Vespico (12/13 @ 2 pm), Miss Pennsylvania 2025
- Brooke Hyland (12/13 @ 7 pm), Dance Moms
- Amanda Neatrour (12/14 @ 4:30 pm), Mrs. Pennsylvania 2024
- Arjun Manjunath (12/19 @ 7 pm), Social Media Content Creator
- Daisy Jade (12/20 @ 7 pm), KDKA-TV “Pittsburgh Today Live” Reporter
- Perry Ninness (12/20 @ 7 pm), Administrative Officer at UBS
- Sara Innamaroto (12/21 @ 12 pm), Allegheny County Executive
- Frzy (12/21 @ 4:30 pm), Musician
- Chloe Lukasiak (12/23 @ 7 pm), Dance Moms
- Kendall Vertes (12/26 @ 7 pm), Dance Moms
- Mary Ours (12/27 @ 2 pm), KDKA-TV Meteorologist
- Lindsay Ward (12/27 @ 7 pm), Pittsburgh Reporter and Content Creator
- Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier (12/28 @ 12 pm), Dance Moms
PBT’s current production of The Nutcracker, created and choreographed by Terrence S. Orr, follows Marie and the Nutcracker Prince on an unforgettable adventure through sparkling snow into the Land of Enchantment. It features hundreds of colorful characters in an unforgettable adventure through the Land of Enchantment. PBT’s The Nutcracker includes five stunning scenes, 150 spectacular costumes, 1,500 costume accessories, more than 100 artists from the professional company and PBT School, a full-stage battle with epic sword fighting, a Christmas tree that grows to 15 times its size, sparkling falling snow and over 30 magic tricks created by a professional magician.
“The Nutcracker is a magical way to celebrate the holidays,” said PBT Artistic Director Adam W. McKinney. “Our unique Pittsburgh version of The Nutcracker is an unforgettable way to experience the season’s festivities with loved ones.”
PBT has performed various versions of The Nutcracker annually since its inception in 1969. The current Pittsburgh-based version, choreographed and conceived by former PBT artistic director Terrence S. Orr, has been staged at PBT for 23 years. The annual production features Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic score as well as costume and set designs by Emmy-winning designer Zack Brown.
The Nutcracker is one of the most well-known ballets of all time, and is based on German author E.T.A. Hoffman’s 1816 tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The first ballet adaptation premiered in 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. PBT has performed versions of The Nutcracker since the 1970s and has presented Orr’s Pittsburgh-inspired interpretation since 2002.
PBT’s current version opens with a Christmas Eve party in the early 20th-century Shadyside neighborhood, where a gift from mysterious Uncle Drosselmeyer sparks an adventure for young Marie Stahlbaum. The story unfolds with classical ballet performances, ranging from the ethereal “Waltz of the Snowflakes” to the virtuosic dances of the Land of Enchantment. The choreography culminates with a Grand Pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier before the story returns to the Stahlbaum home, leaving Marie to wonder, “Was it all a dream?”
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