{"id":227638,"date":"2026-06-25T07:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T07:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/227638\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T07:44:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T07:44:07","slug":"christmas-is-6-months-away-but-pbts-news-will-get-you-excited-for-holiday-fun-even-in-the-heat-of-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/227638\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas is 6 months away, but PBT’s news will get you excited for holiday fun \u2014 even in the heat of summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watching the gorgeous spectacle of \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) has been a tradition for many Pittsburgh-area families for generations. Kids and grownups look forward to the timeless story, the beautiful music, the skill of PBT\u2019s principal dancers and the joyful energy of the student dancers who light up the stage each year.<\/p>\n

Now, for the first time in 24 years, PBT is crafting a brand-new version of \u201cThe Nutcracker.\u201d<\/p>\n

This new interpretation won\u2019t be premiering until December 2027, but the team at PBT has already begun preparing to share this new \u201cNutcracker\u201d with Pittsburgh audiences. And you\u2019re welcome to follow along as this creative work happens.<\/p>\n

A first look at costume sketches and design details will be available this August (you can sign up for updates right here<\/a>). In the meantime, you can read the new story<\/a> of PBT\u2019s \u201cThe Nutcracker,\u201d check out descriptions of new and classic characters<\/a>, explore the new show\u2019s Pittsburgh connections<\/a> and meet the creative team<\/a> that\u2019s busy making this show happen.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a>Courtesy of PBT.<\/p>\n

Want more info?\u00a0PBT\u2019s artistic director Adam McKinney shared these details with Kidsburgh:<\/p>\n

Kidsburgh: What inspired your new vision for \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d at PBT?<\/p>\n

McKinney: \u201cI was inspired to create an ode to Pittsburgh that celebrates the city\u2019s cultures, neighborhoods and rich histories. In some respects, it can be seen as a sequel to the current version of \u2018The Nutcracker,\u2019 which delves even further into situating Pittsburgh as its central theme. It was important to me to keep the classic story and many of the well-known, beloved characters, while also introducing amusing, new characters, such as Pierogies, Geodes, baseball players and Mother Ginger and her gingerbread babies. I am so excited for Pittsburghers to experience this new version of \u2018The Nutcracker\u2019 in December 2027!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kidsburgh: What do you think will surprise and\/or delight children and their families most about this new version?<\/p>\n

McKinney: \u201cI think children and families will be delighted by the new characters, colorful costumes and interesting details, such as Marie riding on a cloud. The new storyline twists, including the mice kidnapping the Nutcracker and taking him into the walls of Marie\u2019s house, will also spark curiosity and excitement. I was inspired to make Marie a strong female heroine and role model for young people. Audience members will also be captivated by Pittsburgh references, including the Duquesne Incline, sports, Phipps Conservatory and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The beautiful Tchaikovsky music will remain the same, though I have re-included a piece from the original 1892 production that is not commonly used.\u201d<\/p>\n

It may be hot and sunny outside right now, but this news has us thinking about shiny tin soldiers, sugar plum fairies and plenty of frosty snow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Watching the gorgeous spectacle of \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) has been a tradition for many…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":227639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,29028,75,74],"class_list":["post-227638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-ballet-theatre","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}