nearly 400 member agencies across 11
counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.
For more information on hunger in
our region or how to get involved, visit
pittsburghfoodbank.org.
THE PITTSBURGH
CONCERT CHORALE
2018-2019 SEASON
The Pittsburgh Concert Chorale’s
2018-2019 concert schedule includes a
variety of musical styles sure to appeal to
every taste.
It started with “Pittsburgh Sings: The
Seventh Annual Pittsburgh Concert
Chorale Festival of Choirs,” and continues
with the annual holiday concert, “Sounds
of the Season,” “Messiah Sing”—a sing-
along free to the public and “Brothers
from Another Mother—Those Musical
Masons!” The season will wrap up with
“‘Name’ That Tune!”
Individual concert tickets are available
for purchase in advance or at the door.
All tickets, including group sales and
subscriptions, may be ordered online at
PCCSing.org or by calling 412.635.7654.
2019 LUCKY NUMBER
TICKETS AVAILABLE
FOR HOLIDAY SEASON
The
Sisters of
Divine
Providence
announced
the
availability of the 2019 Lucky Number
ticket—a great holiday gift idea. The ticket
is based on the day and evening Pick 3
(Daily Number) PA Lottery game. Each
$25 number is valid from Jan. 1 through
Dec. 31, 2019—yours for the entire year!
Daily winners receive a minimum of $25
up to $150 on select days throughout the
year when their three-digit number is
selected.
To participate in the 2019 Lucky
Number fundraiser, call 412.635.5401 or
visit cdpsisters.org/LuckyNumber. Your
participation helps support the ministries
and mission of the Sisters of Divine
Providence.
PITTSBURGH BALLET
THEATRE’S ‘THE
NUTCRACKER’ TAKES
THE STAGE THROUGH
DECEMBER
Complete with growing Christmas
tree, falling snow and mesmerizing magic
tricks, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “The
Nutcracker” returns to the Benedum
Center for a 26-performance run through
Dec. 27. Tickets start at $28 and are
available at pbt.org, 412.456.6666 or at
the Box Office at Theater Square.
The annual production features P.I.
Tchaikovsky’s iconic
score, choreography
and concept by PBT
Artistic Director
Terrence S. Orr, and
costume and scenic
designs by Emmy-
winning designer
Zack Brown. Each
performance
features five
scene changes
and 170 roles for both
professional company
members and student
dancers from PBT
School.
“‘The Nutcracker’ is
pure Pittsburgh tradition. But with new
surprises and choreographic tweaks, it’s
also ever-changing,” says Orr. “For me,
it’s important to create unique casting
combinations for all 26 performances to
keep the excitement alive and ensure that
no two performances are exactly alike.”
The festivities start as soon as audience
members walk through the Benedum
Center doors, with opportunities to
take a souvenir photo with the Sugar
Plum Fairy ($10/photo benefiting
PBT School), shop for holiday gifts at
the PBT boutique, and listen to lobby
entertainment by local musical ensembles
before select performances.
“The Nutcracker” is one of the best-
known ballets of all time, based on
German author E.T.A. Hoffman’s classic
1816 tale “The Nutcracker and the
Mouse King.” The first ballet adaptation
premiered in 1892 at the Imperial
Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
PBT has performed versions of “The
Nutcracker” since the 1970s and has
presented Orr’s adaptation since 2002,
introducing a coming-of-age story, more
complex choreography and a Pittsburgh
setting.
Pittsburghers can spot references to
the city’s own landmarks and cultural
heritage, including the Snow Scene’s
Mount Washington view, a Kaufmann’s-
inspired proscenium clock and a Land
of Enchantment inspired by Pittsburgh’s
historic amusement parks. Pittsburgh
Ballet Theatre’s version of the classic tale
opens with a Christmas Eve party in early
20th century Shadyside, where a gift
from her mysterious Uncle Drosselmeyer
sparks a wondrous adventure for young
Marie Stahlbaum.
The story unfolds through classical
dancing, ranging from the ethereal
Snow Scene to the virtuosic national
dances of the Land of Enchantment. The
choreography culminates with a grand
pas de deux performed by the Sugar Plum
Fairy and her Cavalier, before the story
returns to the Stahlbaum home, leaving
Marie to wonder, “Was it all a dream?”
Among the 170 costumes featured in
each performance, highlights include
18 shimmering snowflakes, 16 colorful
tutus resembling flower petals, a stage
full of elaborate Victorian party dresses
and many more hand-crafted costumes.
Among the total 215-costume inventory,
110 were built locally in the PBT costume
shop under the direction of Costumier
Janet Groom Campbell.
The scenery completes the picture
with 3D set pieces, like the Land of
Enchantment Carousel, and hand-
painted drops. Special effects add to the
enchantment with a growing Christmas
tree, flurries of falling snow and magic
tricks conceived by a professional
magician.
Among the 26 performances, the
company will present a sensory-friendly
performance adapted for patrons with
special needs at 2 p.m. Thursday,
Dec. 27. n
SEWICKLEY
❘
WINTER 2018
9