PRESS RELEASE

Single tickets to all 2025–2026 Season performances on sale now

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) November 12, 2025—San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet)’s Nutcracker returns to the War Memorial Opera House December 5–28 for 36 performances of Choreographer Helgi Tomasson’s triumphant holiday celebration. Set in 1915 San Francisco, this classic story for audiences of all ages portrays a city alive with innovation and global exchange, mirroring the spirit of San Francisco today. The imaginative score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is performed live by the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, celebrating its 50th anniversary this season.  

Additional Nutcracker programming includes the fourth-annual Sensory Friendly Performance, Family Dance-Along and Sensory Friendly Dance-Along Workshops, the Land of Dreams Nutcracker Benefit Luncheon, and a Student Matinee performance for K-12 schoolchildren from across the Bay Area. 

SF Ballet presented the first full-length Nutcracker in the United States 81 years ago and continues to uplift the beloved production as a global holiday tradition. Principal casting for the 2025 run includes the return of Sasha De Sola, Nikisha Fogo, and Wona Park as the Sugar Plum Fairy; Frances Chung and Jasmine Jimison as Queen of the Snow; Cavan Conley as King of the Snow; and Chung, De Sola, Fogo, Jimison, Park, Misa Kuranaga, Max Cauthorn, Conley, Esteban Hernández, Harrison James, Joseph Walsh, and Wei Wang in the Grand Pas de Deux. 

Making their anticipated role debuts in SF Ballet’s Nutcracker are Soloist Elizabeth Powell, Demi Soloist Thamires Chuvas, and Corps de Ballet member Jacey Gailliard as Sugar Plum Fairy; Soloists Victor Prigent and Ángel García Molinero as King of the Snow; and Principal Dancers Madeline Woo, Francesco Gabriele Frola, First Soloist Joshua Jack Price, Soloists Jihyun Choi, Carmela Mayo, and Seojeong Yun in the Grand Pas de Deux. Additional casting details can be found here. 

ADDITIONAL NUTCRACKER PROGRAMMING 

• Student Matinee Performance for K-12 school groups, December 9 at 11:30am 
  SF Ballet’s sold-out Student Matinee performance of Nutcracker will provide over 2,700 schoolchildren the opportunity to experience this magical ballet and the transformative power of the performing arts. SF Ballet Student Matinees introduce K-12 students to the joy and wonder of ballet through one-act performances that captivate students’ imaginations. As part of SF Ballet’s commitment to arts education, SF Ballet offers free and low-cost programs that reach thousands of Bay Area students each year, providing access and opportunity to explore the art form with curiosity, passion, and purpose. 

• Nutcracker Benefit Luncheon: Land of Dreams, December 13 at 12pm  
  Co-chaired by SF Ballet Board of Trustees member and former SF Ballet dancer Alexandra Newman and Sarah Heck, the annual fundraising luncheon held at Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall in San Francisco includes crafts and activities, appearances from Nutcracker characters, and the opportunity to take part in a post-performance, on-stage snowfall while SF Ballet Orchestra plays holiday carols. Proceeds from this event support SF Ballet’s education, training, and community programs, including its continued partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of SF, which began with the Don Fisher Clubhouse in 2015 and has since grown to include fourteen clubhouses in San Francisco. 

• Nutcracker Dance-Along Workshops, December 21 (multiple times) 
  SF Ballet will offer Nutcracker Dance-Along workshops on December 21st in the SF Ballet studios. Led by SF Ballet School faculty, these interactive 60-minute workshops explore the story, choreography, music, and characters of Nutcracker through hands-on activities that unlock the magic of a ballet performance. The Family Dance-Along workshops are suggested for children ages 3–7, accompanied by an adult. The Sensory Friendly Dance-Alongs are inclusive workshops designed for participants with autism, sensory sensitivities, and other physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities, and their families, friends, and care teams to experience the joy of dancing together. Tickets are $25 per person, adult or child.  

• Sensory Friendly Performance, December 28 at 11am  
  Presented in collaboration with Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area, SF Ballet’s fourth-annual Sensory Friendly Performance includes special accommodations to Nutcracker and the theater-going experience to make neurodiverse audiences feel welcome to experience this cherished holiday tradition in a relaxed, inclusive, and accepting environment. 

Tickets 
Nutcracker is onstage at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco from December 5–28. Tickets may be purchased online at sfballet.org or by calling Ticket Services at 415-865-2000, open Monday through Friday, 10am to 4pm. Casting and prices are subject to change. 

Run Time 
Act I – 47 min 
Intermission – 20 min 
Act II – 50 min 

Total runtime: 1 hour, 57 minutes 

Production Credits 
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky    
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson  
Scenic Design: Michael Yeargan  
Costume Design: Martin Pakledinaz  
Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls  
Projection Design: Wendall K. Harrington    

World Premiere (full-length production): December 17, 1892—Shchelkunchik (original Russian title), The Kirov Ballet, Mariinsky Theatre; St. Petersburg, Russia. Choreography for this production by Lev Ivanov, libretto by Marius Petipa.    

United States Premiere (full-length production): December 24, 1944—San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California. Choreography for this production by Willam Christensen.    

Premiere (new production): December 17, 2004—San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California.  

The 2004 premiere of Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker was made possible by Lead Sponsors The Herbert Family and The Swanson Foundation, and Sponsors Yurie and Carl Pascarella, Kathleen Scutchfield, and The Smelick Family.   

Contact 
Public Relations, San Francisco Ballet 
press@sfballet.org 
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About San Francisco Ballet 
San Francisco Ballet, led by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, is a world-leading ballet company and a trailblazing commissioner, collaborator, and presenter in dance. With a deep commitment to new and contemporary works and the classical repertoire, SF Ballet is a catalyst for the future of ballet, investing in commissions and acquisitions; presenting established and emerging choreographers with a breadth of viewpoints; uplifting dancers, artists, and creatives across disciplines; and cultivating the next generation of the world’s top dancers in its School.