The holidays are fast approaching, and it’s time to start planning how to make the most of this festive season. Make sure your holiday plans include the extraordinary display of dance, music and stage magic at “The Nutcracker,” a beloved tradition in the Triad, presented annually by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).
This year, UNCSA’s acclaimed production of “The Nutcracker” is moving locations. UNCSA will present five dazzling performances from December 7th through 10th at the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro while the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem undergoes a long-awaited renovation.
The performances will take place Thursday, December 7th at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, December 8th at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, December 9th at noon and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, December 10th at 2 p.m.
Individual ticket prices vary by seat location, beginning at $31. But, please note, they are selling fast, so be sure to purchase yours soon at TangerCenter.com. Optional upgrades include on-site VIP parking, Lee & Wrangler Lounge access and the Tanger Center’s pre-event Prelude Dining experience for select performances.
This year, UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole will take the podium to conduct the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s cherished ballet. Cole joined UNCSA as Dean of the School of Music in 2016. An accomplished conductor, he has led orchestras and operas throughout the United States, Europe, South America and the Caribbean.
A truly impressive collaborative project, the UNCSA schools of Dance, Design & Production and Music come together each year to produce the heralded ballet. The temporary move to the Tanger Center is a great opportunity for the university as it will provide students the unique experience of mounting and performing a production in a 3,000-seat, state-of-the-art venue a short distance from UNCSA.
“We are so excited to bring the special UNCSA tradition of ‘The Nutcracker’ to the Tanger Center this year,” said UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole. “It is our great privilege to be able to provide our students with the experience of creating and performing in this fantastic venue and to reach new audiences in Greensboro and beyond.”
“The Tanger Center is delighted to host UNCSA’s production of ‘The Nutcracker’ for the first time,” said Greensboro Coliseum Complex and Tanger Center Managing Director Matt Brown. “We hope that having the school’s wonderful annual production in Greensboro at our magnificent venue will help expand the audience for this beloved community tradition.”
Debuting on December 10, 1966, at Winston-Salem’s Reynolds Auditorium, UNCSA’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” has since been reimagined, recreated and refreshed numerous times. Amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, UNCSA engaged in a groundbreaking interdisciplinary collaboration between the schools of Filmmaking, Design & Production, Music and Dance to create a filmed adaptation of the production. This enduring Winston-Salem tradition, which has consistently earned accolades from both critics and ardent audiences, maintains its reputation year after year. In 2023, the production will once again feature choreography by UNCSA faculty member Ilya Kozadayev and the artistic touch of guest lighting designer Penny Jacobus.
Mercedes-Benz of Greensboro and Mercedes-Benz of Winston-Salem are the presenting sponsors of the 2023 production of “The Nutcracker.”
For tickets and additional information on optional upgrades, please visit tangercenter.com/nutcracker.
