From press release

DEKALB, Ill.—The holiday season is one full of tradition. Among the classic holiday entertainment loved by all is the celebrated ballet, The Nutcracker. Opening Nov. 11, the Northern Illinois University (NIU) School of Theatre and Dance will present Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet of magic and wonderment at the historic Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb, Ill.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, commissioned by the director of the Russian Imperial Theatre as an adaptation of the story by E.T.A. Hoffman, composed the ballet for performance in December 1892. Since that time, the ballet has enjoyed great success throughout the world, and it quickly became a holiday tradition in the United States.

The Nutcracker follows the young Clara as she receives the gift of a nutcracker doll at the family Christmas party. When Clara’s brother damages the nutcracker, Clara takes care to bandage the doll. Things take a turn to the magical when Clara makes a late-night visit to her nutcracker.

Clara awakes to find herself in the middle of a battle between the mice and the toy soldiers. The frighteningly large mice attempt to capture Clara. The Nutcracker himself intervenes to rescue Clara, challenging the Mouse King to single combat.

When the fight is concluded, the Nutcracker is transformed into a prince who takes Clara away to his magical realm. Traveling through a land of snow, the pair arrives in the Kingdom of Sweets and dances with the Sugar Plum Fairy.

A reluctant Clara returns to her family, concluding a magical Christmas Eve. Featuring the beloved music of Tchaikovsky and the fantastic dream of a young girl, The Nutcracker offers a night of enchantment and delight for all ages.

The NIU School of Theatre and Dance will present The Nutcracker from Nov. 11 through 14 on the stage of the Egyptian Theatre at 135 N. Second St., in DeKalb, Ill. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

All tickets for The Nutcracker must be purchased through the Egyptian Theatre box office. Tickets are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors, $10 for students and $8 for children ages 5-12. There is a discounted group rate of $18 for adults, $14 for seniors, $8 for students and $7 for children when purchasing for a group of 10 people or more.

The Egyptian box office is open Tuesday 2-6 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and one hour before show time. The Egyptian box office can be contacted at (815) 758-1225 and boxoffice@egyptiantheatre.org. Online ticket sales and more information about the Egyptian can be found at http://www.egyptiantheatre.org/ ^[1].

From the Nov. 10-16, 2010 issue