{"id":3897,"date":"2026-05-06T00:30:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cityballet.org\/school\/?page_id=3897"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T03:58:22","slug":"nutcracker","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cityballet.org\/school\/performances\/nutcracker\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutcracker Community Participation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Nutcracker<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Community Participation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We invite all young dancers ages 6 through 18 to audition for our 32nd<\/sup> annual<\/span> production of The Nutcracker<\/cite>. We will be performing this holiday classic at the beautiful California Center<\/span> for the Arts, Escondido<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The City Ballet Orchestra, John Nettles conducting<\/span>, will perform live at all public performances<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Seven Performances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sat, Dec 19, 2026 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sun, Dec 20, 2026<\/span> at 2:00pm<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tue Dec 22, 2026<\/span> at 2:00pm and 7:30pm<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wed, Dec 23, 2026<\/span> at 2:00pm<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fri, Dec. 1<\/span>8, 2026 at 10:30am especially for San Diego<\/span> school children<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Audition Registration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due Friday, September 18th<\/sup>, 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ask that you pre-register<\/span> for the Saturday, September 19th<\/sup><\/span> 2026 auditions. Please email the completed form to school@cityballet.org<\/a> by Friday, September 18, 2026<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CB NUTCRACKER 2026 Audition<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Auditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, September 19th<\/sup>, 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3:00pm for ages 6 to 8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4:00pm for ages 9 to 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5:00pm for ages 13 to 18<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Audition and Rehearsals Location<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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City Ballet School<\/p>\n\n\n\n

941 Garnet Ave
(South Alley Entrance)
San Diego, CA 92109<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We have an alley entrance only and we are not visible<\/span> from Garnet Ave<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are located about half-way<\/span> down the alley that runs between Cass St.<\/span> and Bayard St.<\/span>, facing Hornblend Ave<\/span> (south of Garnet Ave)<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 2 pay parking lots nearby: 1 near<\/span> our alley door and another down the alley. There is also free street parking around us on Cass, Bayard, Hornblend, and Garnet. Please note parking signs, as rules can differ by day, block, and on opposite sides of the street. Please do not park in or block the spaces for the condos or businesses that share our alley. Our door opens directly on the alley; please use caution when driving near the door<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

To keep the number of people at a minimum during the auditions, we ask that children be dropped off in time for their scheduled audition time and be picked up promptly 45 minutes<\/span> later. This will minimize overlapping of groups<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the audition, each participant will receive a Nutcracker Registration Packet<\/span> which includes important information and forms which must be returned to City Ballet<\/span> promptly. Return forms in PDF format by email to: school@cityballet.org<\/a>, or return them at the front desk<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All forms are due by Saturday, October 3rd<\/sup> 2026.
Rehearsals will take place on weekends beginning Saturday, October 3rd<\/sup> 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Performance Fee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Due Saturday, OCTOber 3rd<\/sup>, 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A $350 performance fee is due to City Ballet<\/span> no later than Saturday, October 3rd<\/sup>, 2026<\/span>. Parents volunteering to assist backstage are eligible to pay only $200<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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$200
Volunteering<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
$350
Not Volunteering<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Tickets and Video<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dancers will receive a special cast member ticket order form in their Nutcracker Packet to purchase discounted tickets to the performance<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not order tickets until all casting has been completed so that you know which performances your child will be in<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each dancer will receive a video link of the filmed performances<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2026 Nutcracker Orientation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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All parents\/guardians must read the 2026 Nutcracker Orientation instructions which will be included in your Nutcracker Packet<\/span>.
(Please see page 1 of your packet.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EVERYONE MUST READ THE 2026 ORIENTATION INSTRUCTIONS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policies and procedures may be different this year from previous Nutcracker productions. Be certain you have read the full 2026 Nutcracker Orientation information<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading the Orientation information, you may email school@cityballet.org<\/a> with any questions<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rehearsals and Costume Fittings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Rehearsals will take place at City Ballet<\/span> School on Saturdays and Sundays beginning October 3rd<\/sup>, 2026<\/span>. They may range between 1 to 2 hours<\/span> long each, depending on roles. (Some dancers may have more than one role). Saturday rehearsals are usually between 2:00 and 6:00pm<\/span> and Sundays usually between 12:00 and 4:00pm<\/span>. There will be evening rehearsals at the theater the week of Dec. 15-18.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be MANDATORY costume fittings on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24-25<\/span> at City Ballet’s<\/span> Costume Shop.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full rehearsal schedule with all details will be included in the Nutcracker Packet.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Communications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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We will use the email address(es)<\/span> provided on the Audition Registration Form to communicate with parents and dancers regarding this year\u2019s Nutcracker production. Make certain your email provider accepts emails from school@cityballet.org<\/a> so these important emails don\u2019t end up in your spam folder<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Commitment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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To maintain City Ballet\u2019s<\/span> reputation for quality productions, a strong commitment is expected from all our dancers. To properly prepare for such a production, all dancers must attend all scheduled rehearsals, including technical rehearsals at the theater. Any missed rehearsals may result in dismissal from the production<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Casting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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EVERYONE<\/strong> who auditions will receive an email with their casting results within one week. If you have not received your email within one week of the audition, PLEASE<\/strong> check your spam or junk folder and notify school@cityballet.org<\/a> and let us know. Rehearsals begin Saturday, October 3rd<\/sup><\/span> so you will need to know what time to be there on your first day<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Careful attention is given to casting by the artistic staff<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALL ROLES ARE FINAL AND NOT OPEN FOR DISCUSSION<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do not attend your first scheduled rehearsal, we will understand that you have decided not to participate in our production<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We look forward to you being a part of City Ballet\u2019s<\/span> production of The Nutcracker<\/span>, recipient of the Tommy Award<\/span> for the Best Nutcracker<\/span> in San Diego<\/span>. The San Diego<\/span> Union-Tribune<\/span> is quoted as saying a \u201cfull and handsome production with opulent sets and costumes\u201d and \u201ca plum of a Nutcracker.\u201d Our production lives up to these praises with elegant costumes and elaborate sets designed by our favorite designer David Heuvel<\/span>, a world-class<\/span> designer who creates costumes for world-class<\/span> companies and dancers all over the world. The entire production has a Russian look to it which perfectly complements the choreography after the concepts of Lev Ivanov<\/span>, the great Russian who created the very first Nutcracker in St. Petersburg<\/span>, Russia in 1892<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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City Ballet of San Diego<\/span> adheres to San Diego<\/span> County’s Health and Human Services Agency health and safety protocols<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n