İstanbul State Opera and Ballet unveils 'Nutcracker' premiere for New Year's Eve

Preparations are underway for the premiere of "The Nutcracker Ballet," which the İstanbul State Opera and Ballet will perform at the Ataturk Cultural Center on the evening of December 27.

Composed by the Russian maestro P.I. Tchaikovsky in 1891, this ballet tells the tale of a young girl's dreams related to the nutcracker toy she receives as a New Year's gift.

Choreographed by Mehmet Balkan, the two-act masterpiece is brought to life on stage by director Lale Balkan. The production features set design by Tayfun Çebi, costume design by Sevtaç Demirer, lighting design by Taner Aydın, and video production by Ahmet Şeren. "The Nutcracker" will continue to captivate audiences in January and February.

The fairy-tale-inspired New Year classic, "The Nutcracker," will have its premiere on the evening of December 27 at the Atatürk Cultural Center – Türk Telekom Opera Hall.

The ballet is based on the 1816 story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. French author Alexandre Dumas later adapted and translated it into a fairy tale format in 1844. P.I. Tchaikovsky then composed "The Nutcracker" ballet based on a detailed libretto prepared by choreographer Marius Petipa. The world premiere of the ballet took place on December 18, 1892.

Cast:
- Sugar Plum Fairy/Clara: Berfu Elmas, Büşra Ay, Ayça Anıl, Berin Kocabıyıkoğlu
- Prince/Clara's Boyfriend: Batur Büklü, Çağatay Özmen, Yılmaz Berkay Günay
- Flower Waltz Prince: Çağatay Özmen, Batur Büklü, Yılmaz Berkay Günay
- Fairy of Goodness: Berin Kocabıyıkoğlu, Gizem A. Tuncay, Julia Hartmann
- Drosselmayer: M. Nuri Arkan, Oliver Spence
- Father: Alkış Peker, Alper Akalın
- Mother: Ayşe Kıran, Özlem Özgen Ovacıklı
- Grandmother: Tülay Yalçınkaya, Beyhan Başar, Nilay Özaydın
- Grandfather: Özerk Tozkoparan, Cem İndere
- Columbine: Zeynep Güçoğlu, Elifsu Pamukçu, Buket Polat
- Harlequin: Can Bezirganoğlu, Berkay Topçuoğlu, Cenk Tan Karayel
- The Nutcracker: Can Bezirganoğlu, Yılmaz Berkay Günay, Arda Erkara
- Mouse King: Egemen Kement, Ali Türkkan (AÖ/VK)