Christopher Wheeldon and Joffrey company members in rehearsal for SWAN LAKE. Photo by Cheryl Mann

The Joffrey Ballet will offer a glimpse into the rehearsal studio when it streams a live, first look at the world premiere production of THE NUTCRACKER, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, winner of the 2015 Tony for AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. The live stream is a one-day event, Thursday, September 8, 11:30 am–1:30 pm (CT) through the Joffrey’s YouTube channel.

Wheeldon’s reimagination of the holiday classic replaces Robert Joffrey’s production which took it’s final bow last year. It will be set during Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair by a creative team which includes Tony-nominated set and costume designer Julian Crouch (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shockheaded Peter), author and illustrator Brian Selznick (Caldecott Medal Award-winning author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese), OBIE and Drama Desk award-winning puppeteer and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Basil Twist (The Addams Family, The Pee-Wee Herman Show), six-time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz (An American in Paris, Once, Frozen), and Tony-winning projection designer Ben Pearcy (An American in Paris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Big Fish).

The Joffrey previously streamed a rehearsal of Wheeldon’s SWAN LAKE in 2014. Artistic Director Ashley Wheater will introduce and conduct a brief interview with Wheeldon during a rehearsal break. The live stream will be produced by Big Foot Media.

The Nutcracker will be presented at the Joffrey’s home venue, the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, at 50 East Congress Parkway, December 10-30, 2016. Single tickets, priced at $35-$170, are available for purchase at The Joffrey Ballet’s Box Office located in the lobby of Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph Street, as well as the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Box Office, on Joffrey.org, or by telephone at (312) 386-8905.