Berks Ballet Theatre is gearing up for its upcoming performances of the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.”
Show times are Saturday, Dec. 17, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in West Reading. The runtime is about two hours.
According to Kelly Barber, artistic director Berks Ballet Theatre, the company has been doing this production for that past 40 years. It’s the company’s biggest production each year.
Barber says there’s a total cast of about 65 students, the bulk of which are from students in the Exeter School District.
“We officially started practicing the last weekend of September.” They work on it for about 21/2 months. “At this point, we’re just fine-tuning. We’re taking care of last minute items,” said Barber.
Over the course of the three productions, they expect to sell more than 1,000 tickets; last year they sold 1,100 to 1,200.
“I’m always excited about it,” said Barber, describing the production as “all-encompassing.”
She’s hoping this year’s Nutcracker performance will bring out folks that have never seen them dance before. “We try to get them to come out for the first time, hope to make it a holiday tradition for them.”
Barber has been director at the Berks Ballet Company for 10 years.
For more information, visit <berksballettheatre.com>.
