'The Nutcracker' By the Numbers

Starting each fall, the company logs over 350 rehearsal hours before the curtain rises on opening night. 

In the PBT Costume Shop, Costumier Janet Groom Campbell and her team ready over 215 costumes, which they refresh and repair each summer. Half were built in house, and others were completed by local artisans and specialty shops. Six loads of laundry, or more, run after each show.

Backstage at the Benedum Center, nearly 100 dancers wait in the wings for the first notes of Tchaikovsky’s glorious score.

Over 33,000 audience members take their seats for 25 performances throughout the month of December. The historic Benedum Center originally opened in 1928 as the Stanley Theater and features original decor like this 4,700-pound grand chandelier adorned with thousands of crystals.

Each performance features 170 roles from the Act I Party Scene to the Act II Land of Enchantment.

The opportunity to audition for a role in The Nutcracker is a highlight of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School experience. Nearly 200 students gain valuable performance experience alongside company dancers during the month-long run.

The Nutcracker  ranks among the world's best-known ballets. PBT puts its own signature on the classic story by weaving in 13 Pittsburgh connections. It all begins with the Shadyside setting of the Stahlbaum home, which is inspired by the neighborhood's historic McKee mansion.

The Pittsburgh connections continue in the Party Scene, where the choreography and kilt of Mr. McTavish represent the famous Scottish-American Pittsburgher Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist and philanthropist.

In the Battle Scene, spot a toy penguin sporting a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey jersey, while another character waves a Pittsburgh Steelers Terrible Towel.

The backdrop of the moonlit Snow Scene spotlights an early-1900s view from Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington.

Of course, The Nutcracker is “nothing short of magical” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Throughout the show, Drosselmeyer performs 31 magic tricks, originally developed with the help of a professional magician.

The enchantment continues in the Snow Scene, where 250 pounds of snow flurry down onto the stage over the month-long run.

In 2020, nearly 50,000 viewers in Pittsburgh  – and around the world –experienced the magic from the comfort of home thanks to PBT’s Fireside Nutcracker, a virtual program spearheaded by Artistic Director Susan Jaffe to continue the tradition amid COVID-19 theater closures.

Whether onscreen or on stage, each performance ends with a cast-wide curtain call. Following a typical show at the Benedum Center, dancers take the stage for 15 rounds of final bows so each character can connect with the audience one last time before the curtain comes down.