Dear PNB Families,
As we shift gears into the start of the school year, we turn our focus to planning this season’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®. We are excited to welcome your children back into the theater for this holiday tradition. We’ve missed the energy, joy, and laughter filling the hall. In this letter you will find all the information regarding auditions, casting, rehearsals, performances, and COVID-19 protocols for this year’s production. Some things have changed in the audition, casting, and performance process.
Your children’s safety is at the forefront of our minds. To ensure the safety of those performing, we will have two smaller casts for this year’s production. Some students will have multiple roles (e.g., Solider in Act I, Angel in Act II) and some students will be cast in a “swing” role. All students will have assigned performance dates, but the “swing” roles will be primarily called when dancers are absent. Casting decisions are based on size, performing ability, musicality, technique, and behavior. Students must be no taller than 5’2” at the time of the audition. Students who are injured on the audition date are not eligible to audition for The Nutcracker. All casting decisions are made by the Artistic Staff. While we encourage all eligible students to audition, we do not have roles for every student who auditions. Please discuss the possibility of disappointment with your child before the audition.
While participation in The Nutcracker is a rite of passage for a young dancer, it does require a considerable commitment of time and energy from the entire family at a busy time of year. Please consider the following before your child auditions for The Nutcracker.
- All students ages 12 and older and parent volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All students are required to submit weekly COVID tests to PNB.
- Students are expected to be available for the entire rehearsal and performance period, from September 20 through December 28, 2021. Please do not have your child audition if you anticipate any conflicts during that time.
- We cannot excuse students from rehearsals or performances for vacations, family events, school events, etc.; the only acceptable reasons for missing rehearsal are illness, injury, and family emergencies.
- Auditioning for The Nutcracker is a commitment on the part of the student and parent. Dropping out of the production for any reason, other than illness, injury, or family emergency (including dissatisfaction with casting), is a break in the child’s commitment. The student will not be able to participate the following year if the commitment is broken.
- All rehearsals and performances will be at the Phelps Center and McCaw Hall.
Parents’ participation is essential to the success of The Nutcracker. All parent volunteers are required to complete a background check to be eligible for a volunteer position. Assignments will be made by Student Cast and Parent Volunteer Coordinator Lauren Kirchner.
Please click here for detailed information on auditions and a general schedule, including rehearsal and performance dates and important meetings. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, September 19.
Sincerely,
Peter Boal Otto Neubert Anne Dabrowski Giovanni Villalobos
Artistic Director Rehearsal Director Rehearsal Director Rehearsal Director