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Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre reimagines "The Nutcracker" for 2027

By Sono Motoyama, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Tribune Content Agency

May 6, 2026 3:54 PM

More than two decades after Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre debuted its current version of "The Nutcracker," the company is preparing an ambitious reimagining of the holiday ballet - one deeply rooted in Pittsburgh history and culture.

The new production, set to premiere in December 2027, will replace former artistic director Terrence S. Orr's long-running version after its final performances in December 2026. Audiences can still expect Tchaikovsky's beloved score, the Snowflakes, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the familiar journey of Marie Stahlbaum and her Nutcracker Prince. But as a detailed PBT announcement this week made clear, the new production promises an even more Pittsburgh-centered story than any previous version staged by the company.

"Our new annual holiday production of The Nutcracker will dazzle audiences for many years to come," PBT artistic director Adam W. McKinney said in a statement. "It promises to be a unique and unforgettable experience. I am sure that audiences will be excited about the combination of traditional story and characters alongside new, lovable characters and fascinating plot changes."

The production, conceived by McKinney and choreographer Trey McIntyre, locates the story in early 20th-century Pittsburgh, including a 1906 Christmas Eve party in the Stahlbaum family home. Marie's father works as an electrical engineer for Westinghouse Electric Company, while her mother is a physician at the Irene Kaufmann Settlement House.

The production will also frame Marie's adventure through a multigenerational lens. A new prologue and epilogue set in 1956 introduce an older Marie recounting her childhood journey to her granddaughter Clara, highlighting themes of memory, family and tradition.

McKinney told the Post-Gazette in December that the company wanted the new version to center the city itself.

"The new ‘Nutcracker' will focus less on people and more on place - that place being an early 20th-century Pittsburgh," McKinney said. "Although PBT's current version contains Pittsburgh references, the 2027 version will be centered around the city."

That local emphasis extends throughout Act II, renamed "The Cloud Kingdom." Audiences will encounter dances inspired by Pittsburgh landmarks and identity: baseball players honoring the city's sports culture, geodes inspired by Carnegie Museum of Natural History, a steelworker balancing atop a girder, pierogi celebrating the region's culinary heritage and a trio representing Pittsburgh's Three Sisters bridges.

The "Waltz of the Flowers" will draw inspiration from Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, while the Duquesne Incline will transport Marie, the Nutcracker Prince and Uncle Drosselmeyer to the magical realm.

Traditional characters absent from PBT's current production - including Mother Ginger and the Dew Drop Fairy - will return. New characters such as fireflies, angels and icicles will also appear.

The production also reflects broader conversations happening in ballet about representation and cultural sensitivity.

In a 2025 Post-Gazette interview regarding the documentary "About Face: Disrupting Ballet," McKinney acknowledged that some older traditions associated with "The Nutcracker" no longer resonate with contemporary audiences.

"We are constantly looking back at ourselves and identifying those things that are or might be considered tone deaf," McKinney told the Post-Gazette.

The documentary highlighted how ballet companies rethought stereotypical portrayals in "Nutcracker" set pieces like the Chinese Tea Dance. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre had already renamed several Act II divertissements several years earlier "to be more respectful of all cultures," though the choreography itself remained unchanged at the time.

The 2027 production appears to continue that evolution by replacing many of the traditional nationality-based dances with Pittsburgh-inspired characters and themes.

At the same time, McKinney has emphasized that the production will preserve the emotional core audiences expect from "The Nutcracker."

McKinney told the Post-Gazette he identified the production's essential themes as "family, tradition, courage, escape, wonder and magic."

He also hinted at major narrative changes, including a more prominent role for the Rat King.

"The Rat King will not die at the end of Act I," McKinney told the PG last year. "This decision was made to create a stronger link between the first and second acts by continuing the antagonist's narrative throughout the ballet."

The creative team includes choreographer Trey McIntyre, costume and set designer Susan Roemer, lighting designer Japhy Weidman, projection designer Stefania Bulbarella and magician Dr. Kenrick Ice McDonald.

The production is intended to endure for decades, McKinney told the PG.

"We're creating a production both for audiences now as well as for audiences in the future," he said.

The current version of "The Nutcracker" will conclude its 24-year run with performances Dec. 4-27, 2026, before the new production debuts the following holiday season.