Did you know that for the very first San Francisco Ballet production of the Nutcracker, the budget for 143 costumes, including materials and labor, was only $1,000? Of course it was Dec. 24, 1944. Money was tight. According to Open Studio 455, S.F. Ballet’s blog, “the velvet coats worn by the party guests in Act I were furbished by old stage curtains purchased at the Goodwill.”
This is just one of many fun facts Open Studio 455 posted about the history of the Nutcracker at S.F. Ballet. You can find all of them here.
The company’s current production of the Nutcracker, created by S.F. Ballet Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson, premiered on Dec. 17, 2004, and is S.F. Ballet’s fifth production of the classic. It runs Dec. 16-31.