YOUNG DANCERS FROM CHICAGO AND BEYOND
CAN AUDITION FOR A ROLE IN THE JOFFREY BALLET’S
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED WORLD PREMIERE OF
CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON’S
NUTCRACKER
Joffrey Tower, September 7 and 11
CHICAGO (August 29, 2016) – The Joffrey Ballet holds open auditions for the Children’s Cast of the world premiere of Tony Award® winner Christopher Wheeldon’s Nutcracker at its downtown studios in Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph Street, Wednesday, September 7 and Sunday, September 11. All students in the Chicagoland area meeting the criteria with dance experience are welcome to audition on their respective dates.
This annual audition is for all young dancers, from any studio or school, interested in auditioning for the world premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Nutcracker, whether or not they have participated in the Joffrey’s Nutcracker in the past. The audition will be directed by artistic staff from The Joffrey Ballet.
All dancers must bring an audition form, 4×6 headshot (Ladies with hair in a bun), and proof of age (ID, passport or copy of birth certificate etc.). The audition form and RSVP links are available online at Joffrey.org/nutcracker-childrens-auditions.
Audition Dates and Times Based on Dancer Criteria
Wednesday, September 7
Ladies ages 11-18, height 5’0”-5’6”
Registration 6:00-7:00 PM
Audition: 7:00-8:30 PM
Sunday, September 11
Ladies ages 7-9, maximum height 4’5” (no minimum height)
Registration 9:30-10:30 AM
Audition 10:30-12:00 PM
Men, ages 10-17, maximum height 5’8” (no minimum height)
Registration 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Audition 12:30-1:30 PM
Ladies age 10-16, height between 4’6”-5’0”
Registration 1:00-2:00 PM
Audition 2:00-5:00 PM
Availability
Dancers must be available for rehearsals in September, October, November and December. Rehearsals begin September 25 and take place at Joffrey Tower. Performances take place December 10-30 at the Auditorium Theatre (no performance December 25).
About Joffrey’s The Nutcracker
Christopher Wheeldon’s Nutcracker will come to life with an award-winning team comprised of creatives in the tops of their fields including: Tony Award®-nominated set and costume designer Julian Crouch (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shockheaded Peter), author and illustrator Brian Selznick (Caldecott Medal Award-winning author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese), Obie and Drama Desk award-winning puppeteer and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Basil Twist (The Addams Family, The Pee-Wee Herman Show), five-time Tony Award®-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz (An American in Paris, Once, Frozen), and Tony Award®-winning projection designer Ben Pearcy (An American in Paris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Big Fish).
Wheeldon reimagines the beloved holiday classic, The Nutcracker, for a new generation, replacing the traditional 19th century setting with Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair. Wheeldon’s stunning choreography and the artistic team’s visionary design will celebrate a turn-of-the-century Chicago as seen through a child’s eyes. Set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score, The Chicago Philharmonic conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet, will delight audiences with live music at every performance.
Tickets start at $35 and are available for purchase at The Joffrey Ballet’s official Box Office located in the lobby of Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph Street, as well as the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University box office, by telephone at (312) 386-8905 or online at www.joffrey.org/nutcracker.
